Fabulous, detailed, refined presentation; looks; value; solid construction

don't radiate visceral presence for the hard rocking types

This is a fabulous mini-monitor. Really, I can't say enough about it. The only speaker on the list above that came close to it was the Hales Rev 1...Paradigm was just sloppy in the high end despite its bass response and is fatiguing to listen to. The Mirage and Genesys are much more expensive speakers that didn't compare favorable to the Solilquy's...this may be to the "audiophile" nature of these speakers...they're like expensive sports cars...to really perform evertyhing must be right, especially the acoustics of the listening room. Either that, or the Soliloquys just sound better. In any case, the 5.0s are a phenomenal value, even at their new prices (I got one of the last pairs before the modest price bump). The 5.0s present detail well, have excellent bass response for a small speaker, exhibit no unnatural boosts or uneven frequency response (they measure very flat), match well with a wide variety of equipment, play a wide variety of music. On vocals and similar "intimate" music the Solilquys know no equal. On other types the 5.0s play well and aren't fatiguing. For their construction, looks, and sound, these speakers are world-class in the $1000 price range. The only person I wouldn't recommend them to is the head banging rock type; there you might do better with the forward presentation of the Paradigm (not a better speaker by any means, but does this one thing very well). For everybody else, go out and buy the 5.0s. (Oh, and by the way, I like the 5.0s better than the 5.3s...the 5.3s have slightly improved bass response as floor standers but lose a little detail to the 5.0...I'd rather take a 5.0 and good sub).

Similar Products Used:

Paradigm Ref 20/40, Hales Revelation 1, Mirage MRM, Genesys (?)

Smooth full midrange, Huge soundstage, Incredible transparency, Amazing detail, Good bass for size, Beautiful appearance

Extremely long break-in time, Placement sensitive/needs room to breathe

These speakers have to be one of the best bargains in audio today. For less than $1,000(or $1300 with beautiful and incredibly heavy matching stands) you can get yourself a speaker that exhibits serious "hi-end" qualities. And as a side benefit, they provide a very easy load so you can use a relatively low-powered solid state or even a tube amp and get impressive levels of volume and dynamics.

This speaker has the ability to make you believe the instruments and voices are in the room with you and make you forget you're listening to an audio system at all. Although this is an extremely well-balanced speaker, the midrange is particularly noteworthy as it is incredibly smooth and has fullness and realism you won't find in many much more expensive floorstanders. The bass is as good as any speaker of this size, and the treble is airy, detailed, and extended without being harsh or bright sounding.

Placed properly these speakers absolutely disappear and leave an incredible 3-dimensional soundstage that seems to put the performers right in front of you. That said, they do need some room to let them breathe. I've found they sound best at least 3 feet from the back and side walls or the soundstage will sound restrained and congested(obviously this is room dependent, so you'll need to experiment). Also, the tweeter is very directional and boosted on axis so high frequencies will increase/decrease significantly with differing degrees of toe-in. Again, experiment to find what works best for your room/preferences.

I really couldn't disagree more with the prior reviewer(except for the excellent imaging). To compare the 5.0 with a $200 speaker makes me think the speakers were not broken in or were not placed properly. I own the Soliloquy 5.3(floorstanding with additional midrange driver) and they sounded awful for the first 100 hours and continued to improve significantly after that(read 9/99 Stereophile review as they had a similar experience--Class B recommended by the way). I found them listenable after 200 hours but they continued to get better over a 2-month period--Soliloquy recommends 500 hours for break-in and I believe it. So if you demo them make sure they are broken in and are pulled well away from the back and side walls.

In short, if you're in the market for a $1000 bookshelf speaker and value utter transparency, realism, and a huge, natural soundstage, make the effort to at least hear these before you buy. Good listening.

Similar Products Used:

Linn Tukan, B&W805/602

Excellent midrange, extended bass and wide sounstage

Eight months of break-in time

I think that nothing could beat the 5.0 performance in this price range. I agree with the previous reviewer. Excellent performance from the 5.0 of Soliloquy.Transparency, detail, and sweetness of music are the assets of the 5.0s.

My equipment;

Audio Research VT 50
Audio Research LS 1 Pre-amp
PS Audio Transport and DAC
Cables and interconnects by Wireworld

Similar Products Used:

AE 100, B&W 601

I must say that I am very impressed with these speakers. The soundstage is wide and deep, imaging is incredible for a speaker at this price. Bass is substantial and perfect for my 13'x15' room. Excellent build quality and and light load makes these speakers a real treat. When comparing them with the Nautilus 805's (twice the price) I would say that the Nautilus are fine speakers indeed, and they have a more seamless sound, but the soliloquy 5.0 comes pretty close in this department. And to my ears the soliloquys have a much sweeter sound. Way recommended.

Arcam Alpha 9 CD
Sim Audio Celeste I-5080
XLO ER-5 interconnect
Van den Huul CS-122 hybrid speaker cable

Similar Products Used:

B&W Nautilus 805, Linn Tukan

Depth and width

really low bass comes through, but from 30hz to 40 hz doesn't come through well

Well, I took home a pair of these after the wood veneer on the side of my castles split open! I was skeptical because they were cheaper, but when I got them set up (it took some time to fill the stands with sand!) they sounded beautiful. They have an awesome soundstage, far better than the more expensive castles. These speakers live up to the legacy of the 2A3's, and I believe they even surpass it! Good job Sarjan!

Similar Products Used:

Castle Eden, Epos monitors, AE Agegis one