I recently bought these speakers from UBid and thus far am very impressed. I consider them a steal at $415 for the pair, including shipping. The clarity of these is remarkable. Unfortunately they are connected to a pitiful low end Sony minisystem but even then the sound was amazing. These speakers have more than enough bass in them for my taste, but eventually I will be getting a Paradigm subwoofer. So far these are the first part of my dream system. Solidly built. Heavy. Very clear sounding. The Valdus 500's are well worth the expense ($172 per speaker for me). Next up is a high quality receiver for me. If it sounds this good on a piece of junk, I can imagine what it will sound like on either a Denon, Technics, or Harmon Kardon receiver.

Purchased four of these speakers from UBID for 142.00 (US) each (now they are going for 182-270 each, I picked the right time to purchase). They sound like I should have paid way much more, I feel like a theif--a smart theif, sic). Their construction makes them look like a million bucks (the online pictures don't do them justice!). Tall and slender, with some really nice curves.
When I first hooked them up I thought I was screwed. One speaker had no sound! Thankfully, I just hadn't hooked up the + wire in the rear securely enough.

How do they sound? ------Natural, a little bit warm/laid back (very nice, no harsh tweeter, they have three 8" drivers in each speaker--gives them a sweet sound), and decent bass (do they really need three 8" drivers in each speaker? I doubt it, these things can pound!). Only suggestion I have is that the should have used an 6.5" midrange instead of an 8" (better transient response from a six point five IMO). They can handle a lot of power, and the protection circuitry ensures that you don't blow them.

I would recommend these speakers for someone who likes the following: Blues (John Lee Hooker), Vocalists (Sarah Mclachlan), Rap (2-Pac), Rock (Dave Mathews Band), and Techno (Chemical Brothers).

I can not recommend these speakers for Country music (because I don't own any) and I doubt that they would be that great for Jazz (too much bass for horns, better off with a 6.5 inch driver for horns).


*WARNING*: These speakers are not video shielded (cannot put less than 1 foot from TV (doesn't really matter, who puts their speaker closer than that to their TV?). The manual (as brief as it is) also says that they are 4 ohms while on the rear of the speaker the impedance is given as 4-8 ohms nominal impedance... so make sure your amp can handle a 4 ohm load.

How many stars? Well I got a deal on these, let me tell you. Even if I had paid 1000.00 for the pair I would give them five stars. Since I paid 284.00 for the pair (plus shipping), I will give them 8 stars... Damn little selector will only let me give them five.

Powerful Bass response

Tweeters cut out at high levels,
Midrange muddy

At first, in the store these sounded like they rocked.
Weighing price vs. product I decided upon these.
At the time I was an apartment dweller and was how do I say this in a politically correct way... decibally challenged!
At the time in the apartment, they were the bomb, I enjoyed their sound mostly for Surround Sound Performances as well as Motzart, Bach, the Stones and Stevie Ray Vaughn. In an apartment setting these speakers will do wonderfully, giving you great response and clarity.
Do not buy these speakers if you live in a non-decibally challenged dwelling (home). I was thrilled when I moved these babies into my new home to see how great they's sound at higher levels, but much to my dismay I am now regretting the purchase. At higher volumes, the mids are indistinguishable and sound downright cheap, and as for the tweeters, nice idea for the safety overload auto-shut offs, but please, every 30 seconds I find myself needing to lower the volume so that the tweeters will once again kick on!!
So, in my opinion, if you're stuck in an apartment setting or forsee yourself being decibally challenged for the next 10 years or so, then my recommendation is to buy these from Ubid or somewhere you can get a good deal, at lower volumes there's nothing better in the price range. But, if you have the luxury to turn up your stereo at will and shake the house, AVOID THESE SPEAKERS AT ALL COSTS. You will thank me.

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Tweeter is very clear, clear highs, strong trebble, bass is fairly good and strong from its 2 8" woofers, speakers look very .. hardcore?

Midrange is a bit average, speakers say they are 4-8ohms(bit confusing).

I found a pair of these speakers at a local pawn broker selling for a fairly good price, and apon listening to them and checking them out for any actual speaker damage, they were very good. They were supposed to be a unwanted gift and at the price of $800AU I bought them as soon as possible.

These speakers are generally very impressive. I pretty much have my receiver / speakers on for at least 12 hours a day as I have them connected to my pc and use them for my primary speakers. I do a lot of console playing as well as music listening and so far these speakers are great. The tweeter is producing extremely crisp and clear sound, I am very impressed with this, however the midrange is a bit lacking. I guess its ok, but considering the rest of the quality of the unit the midrange lets it down. Put that aside, its not actually that bad and then you can look at the bass/woofer department. It has 2 8" woofers which seem to give out pretty solid and strong bass, generally impressive, however I thought they were lacking a little bit for most of the electronic and hiphop music I listen to. I still have a 12" 150 watt sub from my previous setup however, and when combining that with the 500's, it all falls into place very nicely.

For the price of these speakers, they are very good value.. by the looks of things everyone else that has reviewed them has found them at a decent price also, so at this price you cant really go wrong.. I havent seen a speaker with this much hardware in it that sounds this good and is at this price.. Excellent sound quality and power at affordable prices, nothing wrong with that at all.

Good response..really adds the punch to music..

mid range can be better

Got them here quiet cheap at 310$ for a pair!!..i regret for not buying 2 more..anyway very much worth every buck..have it rigged to my Yamaha 493RDS and with Pioneer SLK6 as rear..really great when u watch DVDs..but for high end could do with Bi-wiring..

value

midrange

I purchased these speakers as the fronts in a home theater system I am building. When I recieved I was amazed at how good they look. I conteplated trading out my 9se's and using these on my main system....until I hooked them up. As badly as I wanted them to be VERY good, they were only...good. In a side-by-side switch back and forth comparison, my Paradigms held the "clear" advantage. The Wharf's were slightly muddy in the midrange and the vocals seemd less distinct. Overall, decent base and highs, good for what I am using them for but not "high-end".

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Incredible Bass,VALUE!!!O yeah and more BASS!!!

The aforementioned mids

I was looking to upgrade from my former system to something a bit better for my new house,so I was pleased to find these on UBid.After some research I decided to give them a try.WoW was my first response,I put in the matrix dvd right off and was amazed.You are a sadist if you want a sub on top of these monsters.I listen to a lot of techno music so bass response is a must, and I would highly recommend these to anyone whose musical taste runs to the booming side.Home theater performance is very good for me(i'm not a pro yet)I havent had the pleasure of trying very high end speaker's yet but these blow my old bose away,for a lot less money.If you are in the market for a good value on some home theater speaker's,you wont beat these for the $$$.Check out UBid they always have them for good prices.All my friends are currently in the market for some after hearing mine.As mentioned in other review's the mids leave a little to be desired but they dont take away from the overall enjoyment.I have since purchased the valdus 200 for my rears,and the valdus center,I am running this with a Sony 555es,and a Sony 530d-dvd,and could'nt be happier.

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Bose 501's