Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
Spent a fair bit of time doing research to fit a decent, but lean budget. Narrowed my choice down to the JM Labs Chorus 706 and Mission M71s.

Decided on these speakers because, compared to the Missions and the other speakers I had auditioned, the sound was refined without losing the vibrancy of live performances. The speakers handle acoustic, classical, jazz and vocal performances absolutely beautifully - although it did take an extended 'breaking in' period to bring the best out of them.

These speakers are no slouch when it comes to heavier material as well - although 'electronica' or 'dance' may sound overly bright due to the fantastic seperation and imaging of these speakers.

Highly satisfied - bought the more expensive JM Labs Cobalt 806 for my father at the same time, but at still more than pleased with this set. The only advantage the 806's have is when dealing with large scale classical pieces or operatic works where they really shine.

Strengths:
-Excellent build quality
-Handles wide range of material well
-Particularly good with female vocals and instrumental pieces
-Excellent seperation and nice focused soundstage

Weaknesses:
-Bass may feel weak on some tracks as it is extremely clean and not overly 'thumpy' as is the case on many bookshelf speakers
-Needs decent (2 weeks+) breaking time and careful placement to get ideal sound