Transparency, imaging, and sound stage are outstanding. The music appears to be in the room rather than out of the speakers. The cabinetry and build quality are excellent. They sound very good at low volume, which is not as commonplace as one might think.

At the list price of $1100 I would have considered them a bit expensive. Like every small speaker I have experienced they lack dynamic range at the bottom end. And they need decent stands to deliver what bass they can. But for what I paid, I can find no significant flaws.

These are teamed up with a Linn Classik in my second system. They replaced a pair of Sound Dynamics RTS-3 monitors. I found a demo pair for less than 1/2 the MSRP. They are exponentially better than the Sound Dynamics (at >4x the $$ they should be). I also auditioned the Spendor 3/5 and 3/1 and found the Soliloquy 5.0s to be in the ballpark for substantially less cost.

Similar Products Used:

Sound Dynamics; Axiom; Ascend; Spendor

Sound stage, tranparency +++

Dynamics

Revisited these speakers with a Le tube pre-amp and an Amplifine Class AB 40wpc EL34's. Major sounstage improvement and transparency. Best speakers for the price (got it second hand with original stand). Got more atmosphere when driven with tube. SS sounded a but shallow and hard.

Similar Products Used:

epos es 14, magnepan smgc, tannoy m1, b&m 604

Sound stage, tranparency, mid-range inegrity

Dynamics. Gets a bit muddled with complex transients. doesn't want to play Rock

Hooked up to paragon 12A and Adcom 545, CAL Audio DX 1 Tara Labs interconnects and Linn Cables Very Musical, transparent, excellent sound stage, sweet highs Beautiful aethetically. Softened up amps and made this system warmer

Similar Products Used:

B&W 604, Magnepan SMGC, Epos, Infinity RS 4.5

Sound, looks, fit, finish, build quality.

A little bright at the top end, a little shallow at the bottom. Everything in between sounds terrific.

I decided to go with 4 of these precious gems for HT purposes. After listening to these and several other excellent bookshelf models I realized that paying $850/pair just for the speakers would have been a great deal but the dealer, who happened to be an old friend, tossed in the stands...thank you very much...a steal if ever there was one. First of all, the 5.0's sound great even with my solid state AVR (Denon 4802) so don't let anyone tell you that tubes are needed to make these babies sing. Simply not true. Granted, the Denon leans toward the bright side so the highs can sound that way if you have a reflective listening room. However, the Denon had no adverse effect on the mids (very, very smooth...even slightly warm), and the bass is quite robust for a small speaker (I still recommend the sub for effective HT). In addition to producing wonderful sound, all Soliloquy's are incredibly attractive and built like Fort Knox. Even the stands make a fashion statement. However, a word of warning --- You should fill the stands with sand for the very best sound. Unfortunately, this makes them VERY heavy. Moral of story...place properly before filling otherwise make sure Hulk Hogan is somewhere close by. I learned this lesson the hard way. Conclusion: These speakers sound wonderful and look great. Even at MSRP they are an excellent value. Before buying these I listened to B&W CDM-1NT's, Polk LSi9's, Monitor Audio GR-10's and KEF Q-1's. A few of these weren't even close to the Soliloquy's, and when I factored in the looks, fit and overall build quality it was a no-brainer.

Similar Products Used:

See comments above

Imaging, truth to timbre, detail yet easy to listen to.

Should really use tubes, don''t work well half as well with solid state.

I have had these speakers for about 5 months. I bought them used at a great price and when I got them I was fairly happy. At that time I was running them with a Musical Fidelity X-A1. Not bad, but, my final conclusion was, after listening for a few months, that these speakers, and, for that matter, any speaker with a 10ohm or higher load, must be heard with tubes to be judged fairly. It would be similar to hearing panels with a 50 wpc solid state and then saying they have no bass. So out went the MF and I picked up a pair of M60 Quicksilvers, and a dual mono version of the Cary SLP 90. This was an entirely different world. I realize that this was a huge jump in price from the MF, but I also listened to a Classe cap 100 and the quickies were what truly made a major difference. Classe was better but not "right". Tubes are the only way with these speakers. With this setup they sound incredible. Tibre and color of instruments is very true. Imaging is extremely good. The top is no longer even a little bit harsh but is very open. These are incredible monitors. They are very highly reccomended. Take the time to hear these speakers and be sure to hear them with proper amplification.

Similar Products Used:

lots of everything

Great deep, full bass for monitor. Smooth treble. Very open and airy.

Detail?

What a find. These speakers are a "shocker!" Agree with previous reviewer...these speaker sound terrible out-of-the-box...manual says 500 hours of break-in. I noticed a tremendous difference around 200 hours. At the beginning, the Soliliquy 5.0's were BRIGHT with untamed and muddy, un-focused bass...but what a difference some break-in time makes. I heartily recommend these speakers to anyone looking for open and airy stand-mounts. The quality and depth of the bass eminating from the small driver belies its size and the treble smooths out with break-in but not at the expense of detail. These speakers are true to their source material. AND>>>What a bargain!!! $1400/pair including AWESOME matching fillable stands.

System:
Plinius 8150i Amp
Meridian 508.24 CD Player
Soliliquy 5.0's(Rosewood->GORGEOUS!!! with matching stands!)
Transparent Bi-wire Spkr Cables
Transparent Interconnects
Tice Audio AV Power Conditioner

Similar Products Used:

Aerial 5's, B&W CDM1SE's, B&W Nautilus 805's, Dynaudio's, Monitor Audio

Imaging on par with the best of them

Overall presentation and midrange a bit laid back

I am a bit dissapointed in these speakers. I expected more of a liquid midrange detail, and embarrasingly so, my son's JBL HLS-610 ($200) bookshelf monitors sound the same, if not better than the Soliloquy's! They don't have that large of a soundstage to contend with many other bookshelf size monitor type speakers, in my opinion. I just expected so much more for the money. Incidentally, I am running all Audio Research equipment (solid state) with Cardas cabling.
Unfortunately, my post may be more a praise for the JBL's than the Soliloquy, but that's the way it goes.

Similar Products Used:

JM Labs, Mirage

accuracy,cabinetry,naturalness

none

An unbelievable value. The only speaker under $2000 that I have heard that provides a true high end sound illusion: that of uncolored ,separate instruments in space. These make all other similarly priced speakers I have heard sound like pretenders, and the cabinets are beautiful to boot. Long break in period, however.See wes philips' review in onhifi.com.Enjoy!

Similar Products Used:

I have used hundreds of pairs of speakers in 30+ years(no kidding!)

A good speaker should do all things well, this one does.

None, for size and price

I have had these for 5 months and they will stay in my house for a long time. I beleive in the break in period for these to be quite long but worth the wait. Vocals are soaring now and warm as well. I am impressed with everything this little speaker is able to do, like letting you listen to music instead of equipment.

Similar Products Used:

Listened to alot over the years!

Very detailed, musical, large sounstage and excellent bass for the size

Takes a very long time to break-in ( about 6 months in my case ).

Driven by Conrad Johnson CAV-50 this speaker lives up to its promise. There is no other speaker in this price range that could outperform the 5.0 from Soliloquy. It's very rare that I turn my subwoofer on. The bass extension is unbelievable for this size. I've used the B&W's and JM Lab for more than a year but I never imagined that a newcomer like the 5.0 would outclass them practically in all respects. You must audition this speaker if you are looking for a bookshelf model. And one thing more it's a very easy load for most low powered amps. Congratulations Soliloquy!!!

Similar Products Used:

JM Lab 807, B&W CDM 1SE