I compared the Salon1 (owned 5 years), Studio2 (audition), B&W 802D (audition), Klipish P-39F (audition), and Thiel CS 3.7 (auditioned a few times) over the last 6 months. The Thiel was an easy choice for my musical tastes. I listen to mostly Rock, Pop and Reggae, and occasionally other genres.
You should check this speaker out for yourself. I won't go into superlatives because the sound is subjective to each person's hearing. I loved this speaker because it gave such a great emotional connection to the music.
Though I think the bass is very good on the Thiel, especially with a powerful amp, it was not as amazing as on the Salon1. A sub would likely equal things out but the current package is already pretty amazing.
BTW - I thought the upper frequencies on the Studio2 was better than on the Salon1. I imagine it would be just as good for the Salon2.
Another 2 cents: At the store that sold the Klipish they had the KEF 207/2 speaker. I wanted to hear that after I heard the Klipish but I got carried away listening to the Klipish and I run out of time. The store owner told me that he had owned the KEF 207/2 previously and changed them for the new Klipish P-39F. He told me that the KEF's were a little darker sounding than the Klipish and he preferred them to the KEF's.
