@duramax…during the short transport from the car into my house one of the speakers suffered a fairly noticeable surface scratch on its back, otherwise both were in excellent condition. The scratch didn’t pierce the veneer but it is there if you listen from the rear. Doh!
As someone who has previously owned a few models on the past, I will say that my immediate impression is that these are the closest to what I loved most about the 3.5’s - that at low and moderate volume level they leave nothing to be desired.
It was only a week ago that I very nearly committed to buying a pair of 3.5’s from an upstate NY retailer, but thought the better of it after speaking with them and their poor condition was made more obvious. (Rough condition, dimpled drivers, and exorbitant shipping costs wound up that decision.). As much as I continue to think the 3.5’s are the best, a prolonged adventure of repair and replacement just isn’t in the cards financially.
I played a couple of tunes that I like to use when seeing what a speaker is capable of doing. “Crocus” by Ani DiFranco and “ Down To The Well” by Kevin Gordon. (With more than a helping hand from Lucinda Williams.) The former for the bass and the latter for overall timbre. The CS’s didn’t let me down. The only thing I can say about the treble is that it strikes me as being a little less resolute than what I got from 2.4’s and 3.6’s, but this is quibbling.
I am cussing respectfully the legacy of Thiel with these only because I find that placing the connections on the bottom of a 170 pound Easter Island sculpture is just…. I won’t be cable swapping on these any time soon.
Updated pics in virtual systems.
Thanks to everyone.