As promised, when the speakers arrived I would post the beginnings of a review. Well, they did!
First impressions of build quality are, unsurprisingly, not ones of overwhelming enthusiasm. The construction looks v. decent from a couple of feet away, but close inspection reveals where costs are cut..BUT for a cost of $139.00 they are extraordinary! I will post many photos of inside/outside when I get back to this country (around three weeks from now).
There appears to be no acoustic wadding of any sort: the rap test has a definite set of tones. However, the upper units (silk(?) tweeter, and two mid-ranges that LOOK aluminum, are in a separate enclosure.
The binding posts (bi-wireable) are goldish looking, although I suspect a lack of any precious metals.
The side-firing 10" speakers look decent from the outside, and have what seems to be a good excursion limit.
First listening (using a small domestic amp and CD). WOW! Not what I thought. Like you all, I suspect, I have my set of "torture" CD's, ranging from Rock (Dadawa, Joni Mitchell etc) to classical, including massed vocals. I have always loved the Durufle Requiem (both the Hyperion version, and the new SACD featuring The Gents). The Hyperion in particular is merciless to indifferent equipment, especially speakers. Also an older EMI recording of Walton's "Belshazzar's Feast". In my experience, if speakers can unravel these recordings, there's not much that will confuse them. In a nutshell, so far these cheapy speakers are sailing through everything. They appear to exhibit good dynamics, a wide and stable image, and freedom from too many dips and peaks. Too early to say, obviously.
The box states that the -3db point is 28Hz: I think that might be optimistic! But, they do go low, and with an authority that really surprises.
In conclusion, I'm in a state of disbelief. Like I wrote previously, this pair of speakers costs less than a foot of high-end speaker cable. What's going on?
That's all for now. Much more to follow, and pictures, if anyone is interested.
As promised, when the speakers arrived I would post the beginnings of a review. Well, they did!
First impressions of build quality are, unsurprisingly, not ones of overwhelming enthusiasm. The construction looks v. decent from a couple of feet away, but close inspection reveals where costs are cut..BUT for a cost of $139.00 they are extraordinary! I will post many photos of inside/outside when I get back to this country (around three weeks from now).
There appears to be no acoustic wadding of any sort: the rap test has a definite set of tones. However, the upper units (silk(?) tweeter, and two mid-ranges that LOOK aluminum, are in a separate enclosure.
The binding posts (bi-wireable) are goldish looking, although I suspect a lack of any precious metals.
The side-firing 10" speakers look decent from the outside, and have what seems to be a good excursion limit.
First listening (using a small domestic amp and CD). WOW! Not what I thought. Like you all, I suspect, I have my set of "torture" CD's, ranging from Rock (Dadawa, Joni Mitchell etc) to classical, including massed vocals. I have always loved the Durufle Requiem (both the Hyperion version, and the new SACD featuring The Gents). The Hyperion in particular is merciless to indifferent equipment, especially speakers. Also an older EMI recording of Walton's "Belshazzar's Feast". In my experience, if speakers can unravel these recordings, there's not much that will confuse them. In a nutshell, so far these cheapy speakers are sailing through everything. They appear to exhibit good dynamics, a wide and stable image, and freedom from too many dips and peaks. Too early to say, obviously.
The box states that the -3db point is 28Hz: I think that might be optimistic! But, they do go low, and with an authority that really surprises.
In conclusion, I'm in a state of disbelief. Like I wrote previously, this pair of speakers costs less than a foot of high-end speaker cable. What's going on?
That's all for now. Much more to follow, and pictures, if anyone is interested.