sound quality, appearance, ease of hook-up power handling

None

I recieved my Level 3 speakers (2 pair of the bookshelfs and 1 center channel). The first things I noticed were: 1. Nice size, possible too large to be classified as a bookshelf 2. The finish was (white) was exceptional 3. And HTD took the time to double box the entire order. As for the sound, I demo'd the speakers on a variety of music. I am a jazz lover and am much more interested in smooth, even sound then boom-boom. Ray Brown, Norah Jones (SACD version) and Vanessa Rubin were the recordings sampled. Exceptional. From the fast paced bassing of Ray Brown on Super Bass 2 to the smooth vocals of Rubin. A subwoofer is needed only for the deepest octaves of bass or for action movie booms. Using Bad Boys II, Gladiator and Monster's Inc. I tested the sound of the Level 3 system with movies. Dialogue was well placed and centered to the TV. The action panned from side to side and front to back with no loss of quality or tonal change. This speakers are worth

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Price performance ratio. Great low end extension. Clear highs. Good customer service.

A bit big. Made in Taiwan.

I read a lot of good reviews about this product and decided to try it out. This was my first internet purchase and the company was easy to deal with. All my email questions were answered in a couple of days and they gave me good advice. There was a problem with UPS but they helped sort it out. My first impression was its a pretty good speaker but I was expecting more from the reviews I have read. Now that the speakers are broken in they are simply amazing. Great highs and incredible bass. I was watching The Sum Of All Fears, and had to turn off the sub (Sony SAWM40) during the nuclear explosion as it was disturbing my new born baby. After shutting the sub off I did not notice much bass loss. This is a very good speaker.

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Great sound, greater value....well worth the price

None that I've found...

This review is for the Level II set, not the Level III....
The set consists of (4) Level II bookshelf speakers (2 pair), a Level II center channel speaker, and a 125w/205w peak 10" sub.

I initially purchased the Level I set for an incredibly low $199, and was somewhat impressed by the sound quality, but was very underwhelmed by the build quality/look of the system. So, thanks to the HTD wonderful 30 day return policy (free return shipping to audition the set at your home!), I returned the Level I set, and promptly ordered a Level II set the same day.

When the Level II set arrived, I had just received my new Sony DB840 receiver, so I was ready to get down to some serious listening/DVD viewing. The physical build quality of the cabinets is really quite good, and are very pleasing on the eyes, as well as the ears. Time to hook them up!

The sound quality of this set is top notch, not just for a set under $500, but for a much pricier set as well. I have had no problems whatsoever with the set, and and extremely pleased with the sound quality, both with DVD's, and for music. The sub does an admirable job on the LFE, and integrates well with the front channels for music. I did notice some off center fade from the center channel, but I just make sure I get the sweet spot for DVD viewing :P

Overall, I'd say if you're looking for a great sounding sub $500 5.1 setup, it'd be hard to beat this set - both in price and sound/build quality.

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HTD Level I

price, very well constructed, excellent sound quality especially low end

none

I was kind of skeptical when I first heard about these speakers. I saw a few articles on the net claiming these speakers compare with speakers in $500 price range. I was even skeptical when I saw that at the time the only 2 reviews of these speakers on this site were from California (where HTD is based). After shopping around a bit for other speakers, I bought a set of Pinnacle gold mini-monitors, I returned them within a week due to the fact that they sounded so bright it was almost to the point of tinney.
I looked around a bit more and eventually decided to give the HTD's a shot. After hooking them up to my Onkyo-676 receiver I was totally blown away. I couldn't believe I was getting this type of sound from a 2-way bookshelf speaker, nevermind a $200 2-way bookshelf speaker. The highs come through crystal clear and the low end is phenomenal for a bookshelf.
HTD has a real winner here and a great concept of cutting out the middle man. which given the markup on most audio eqipment is probably the only reason these speakers aren't in the $400-500 price range.

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Price, great sound, solid construction, & 4 way gold binding posts

None

These speakers are for real! Great sound, excellent imaging & reproduction. I can't believe the quality and sound you get for under $200 (this gets 6 stars for value in my mind.) The cherry cabinets are beautiful. A big home run for HTD. My only regret is that my room size wont allow me to use another pair as rear channels.

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602's

sound quality, build quality for price

none at the price, but not a perfect sonic match for HTD level three center channel speaker

These are the main speakers in a second-home system where components were selected to be decent but inexpensive. They are powered by a Kenwood VR-409 receiver and used in a home theater setup with HTD level three center channel, HTD level two rear surrounds, and a 12-inch powered subwoofer (Infinity). The sub has been adjusted to integrate smoothly with the bass cutoff of the HTDs (crossover at about 80 Hz). The speakers are on the 28-inch stands supplied by HTD, with the back of each speaker about 12" from the rear wall.
During the 30-day return period, I compared them to the main speakers in my primary system (ESS AMT 1B). I'm a fan of the smooth, detailed upper range produced by the ESS electrostatic driver; the soft-dome tweeter in the HTDs produces a very similar sound. I find them very "listenable" for long periods of time with music ranging from classical to progressive rock. In addition to detailed highs that are not harsh, they produce pleasant, relatively uncolored midrange. Imaging is fairly good, and as with all speakers, varies with the quality of the particular recording. The bass is surprisingly good for the speaker size, but if you want the last 1.5 octaves you should add a sub. Unlike prior reviewers, I find the sound detailed and clear either at low levels or high levels. With 100 watts per channel, they are plenty efficient to fill my 18x35, vaulted ceiling, great room with clear, undistorted music at sound levels much higher than I usually listen to. In the black finish, and the speakers appear very well-made and nicely finished from any angle. The solid metal, bi-wirable, gold binding posts are a real plus for this class of speaker. At the price, I give them five stars.

very good sound quality, well-constructed, good components, and aesthetically pleasing.


very good sound quality, well-constructed, good components, and aesthetically pleasing

I purchased the HTD Level III speakers for the front speakers for a home theater system. The fronts that I had previously were fine for surrounds, but didn't provide the warmth and full sound of good bookshelves. The center speaker is a an audiosource (same as HTD level I), the surrounds are audiosource LS-300 (same as HTD level I), and the subwoofer is the audiosource SW-2, which is 100 watts with a front-facing 10" woofer. The receiver is an Onkyo with DD/DTS 55 w/ch. The sytem sounds quite good with no detectable hiss/ or distortation at the sound levels that I use. The level III speakers a quite good for stereo also which is about 2/3 of my listening, with DVDs being the other 1/3. I have a Panasonic DVD player which I use for DVD/CDs, and also a turntable. The records sound suprisingly good through this receiver/speaker system.
I am replacing the center speaker with a HTD level II as it is a closer match for my front speakers, and at times I use the 5- channel stereo for certain types of recordings.

The shipping was prompt, the prices excellent, and the customer service prompt and helpful. I highly recommend HTD/Audiosource.

The cost of all of my speakers including the new level II center and the Onkyo receiver was about $750 US, the DVD player was $250. This is truly as system which pleases the ears as well as the budget.

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huge amount of hardware for the money, customer service was fantastic, heavy and well constructed, rich sounds

largish, boring cabinets

I needed some speakers to go with my new Sony Wega TV and Sony ES receiver, and after reading the reviews on c|net, this site, and others, I went with HTD.

I got the complete system with the two towers for the front, two mains for the surrounds, the center, and the sub.

This is a huge amount of speaker hardware here, weighing in at about 200 pounds. If you are a fan of the 'baby speakers' in a lot of surround sound systems these days, these are CERTAINLY not the speakers for you.

The customer service at the site is great. Any email I sent was returned at least within a day, and my questions / concerns were answered in depth.

The black cabinets I got with the set are nice although a little boring, as they are just (large) black boxes with a dull / matte finish.

It is hard for me to talk about the sounds because I really have no basis of comparison:

1) this is my first major speaker purchase
2) it isn't like you can bring these to 'the good guys' and listen to them next to the others, you know?

But I will say that I am certainly not dissappointed. I have tried out all kinds of music and my only complaint is that they are a _little_ weak in bass, but with the subwoofer addition is compensates (too much?) for that.

I was skeptical about buying a product that I couldn't really even look at not to mention hear before my purchase, but the moment I set everything up, I didn't think about the 30 days I had to return them (another reason to give them a chance).

superb sound, excellent value, great customer service

none that I've found yet but I now 'need' a Harman Kardon AV220 and Panasonic RP56 DVD player!!!

Being a total sceptic and 'internet-purchasing-newbie' I was very nervous about purchasing anything on the 'net but after reading the review in Fortune 500 magazine, where they said they would compare these products to anything double the price, and numerous calls to the HTD customer service line I decided to order the Level 3 in-wall/ceiling speakers, center channel and sub-woofer since I had my new house prewired for surround sound. I am a total novice with audio but I soon had the speakers installed. Unfortunately my 9 year old Technics has no dedicated sub-woofer circuit but I have taken the signal off the left front speaker output which is OK for now but I miss a lot of the audio like this! I was stunned when I turned it on. The clarity of the sound is amazing even without fiddling with the settings. It sounded about as good to me as the $248/ea Klipsch speakers I had seen at Soundtrack. Tha subwoofer is amazing and easily has my house shaking. The dark red color is a nice change too. I can't wait until I buy a decent Receiver and DVD player! The service I recieved from HTD was a welcome relief from a lot of places and I would absolutely recommend them to anyone. Go for it--you will not be dissapointed!!

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The bass for the speaker size.

The mid-range to high crossover really destroys some womens voices, and brass insturments.

For $200, this is great pair of speakers for Home Theater. You will not need a subwoofer to rumble the floor when watching movies with these. For music though these are just marginal. Most music plays great, but some brass pieces, and some womens voices are not reproduced as truly as everything else.