Davegoodrich, I bought my MB-2.5's from Alfred without listening to them first. Luckily there were Audiogon members like Xti16 who advised me during the initial setup and break-in period. I like my MB-25's a lot and they sound way above their price point even at the $3.6k MSRP. As good they sound, there are things to be aware of still:
1. Room size and placement: These speakers are not designed to fit into a small room. My listening room is 14x20x10. I place my speakers 9' apart and 3.5' from the front wall as Xti and other members suggested. Their sweet spot is a little bit narrow but much better than the planar speakers.
2. Break-in: They didn't sound good at all when they were just out of the box. They need at least 200 hours or more break-in time to start sounding good. The difference is night and day. For those who sold their 2.5's with less than 100 hours, I feel sorry for them since they haven't heard the real sound of the 2.5's yet.
3. Room treatment: Don't be fooled by their slim size. The 2.5's produce high volume of bass that could be excessive for rooms with hard surfaces and glass windows. Bass traps and sound panels are tweaks may be considered.
4. Source, amplification and cabling: The 2.5's are very revealing. They are lean, clean and fast. I think they are power hunger but there are members on this forum have successful experience with low wattage amps. Since the 2.5's are so revealing, the selection of source and cabling will also significantly impact the outcome of your system.
Since audio is a very subjective and personal hobby, I'd still suggest you go listen them first before making a purchase if possible.
