hi plato, i can't disagree w/what yure saying here - of course, *1st* priority is *ewe*, in the sweet-spot. :>)
re: newforms, i haven't heard 'em either - but their 30-day audition policy seems fair enuff, & i'd only be out shipping, if i dint tink they were *the ones*. re: their bass-response, it's really not an issue for me, as i already have a subwoofer set-up, but i can see possible concerns if ya don't. 'cuz of my subs, i'm currently leaning towards the nhb645's, instead of the r645's, cuz, while they sacrifice a few hz at the bottom, i tink they'd be faster up to 1khz, where they have to blend w/the e-stats. i'm also considering doing a custom-yob, w/accuton drivers, which should be an order of magnitude faster than *either* of the above...
regarding bfs, i try to take *all* second-hand info as a starting-point, to narrow my search. in the case of the newforms, unless there's someone in the frederick md area that has 'em & wants to inwite me to hear 'em, i'm stuck - except for being willing to risk return-shipping charges.
regards, doug
oh, re: the newforms' appearance, ya mean there are speakers out there that are actually *uglier*??? ;~)