Price Paid:  $170.00 from New Zealand

Summary:
I got these 2nd hand through an Audio store here in New Zealand. I can't believe some of the cheap prices you Americans pay for some of your gear! As my first true seperates speaker they have served me well and are now sadly due for an upgrade. Unfortunately Celestion is difficult to find here so I'm looking at some Klipsch RF35s, KEF Q10s and Local Image 415s as replacements. I would definitly give some higher end Celestion's a try if available.

Strengths:
Impressive bass and punch for the size, excellent dynamics suit a wide range of music styles. Easy to drive. Mid range impressive.

Weaknesses:
Not too great on cymbals/treble but then my ones had dented tweeters when I first got them which I later had sucked out.

Price Paid:  $350.00 from Good Guys

Summary:
I have had these speakers for 5 years and they have held up very well. The offer a great full range of sound and have been an intergrated part of my home theater system.

My personal rating against other speakers I have owned:

vs. Phase Tech = winner Phase Tech (You can't beat them)
vs. Infinity = winner Celestion (better range and not as muddy on the low end)
vs. Klipsh = winner tie (both strong and great range)

My personal rating vs music.

vs. classical = C (not great on the full range of classical)
vs. Jazz = C+ (above average - except for exterme highs)
vs. Rock = B (no problem - better then most)
vs. Blues = C- (mid and high range on older blues not as clear)
vs. Funk = B+ (great punch for those funky rythms)

Rating vs. hometheater.

vs. DTS/5.1 = B (great for all my DVD digital movies)
vs. Mono (Classics) = C+ (muddy on some of the older movies)
vs. TV = B (great sound for regular TV)

Durability Overall = A


Would I buy them again? No
Would I recommend them? Yes - as a general all purpose speaker.
What would I buy? Phase Tech.
Did I enjoy them? Yes

I am not giving a bad review of them, I just think that there are better speakers out there for the money.

I have since moved the Celestions to my den with my stereo there. I still enjoy them.

If you are looking for a great general speaker for a home theater - then these are great and have never let me down.

If you are more of a audiophile or more of into classical & jazz I would look at the Phase Techs.

Strengths:
Full range

Weaknesses:
Not enough in the high end.

Similar Products Used:
Klipsh, Infinity, Phase Tech.

Summary:
I got these from a local dealer as a demo for my new bedroom system, and they are an absolute steal for the price I paid ($175). I have them hooked up to a Creek 4330R
with DH Labs Silver Sonic T-14 cables w/double bananas. My source is an Arcam Alpha 9 CD player w/Kimber PBJ interconnects.

First thing you notice with these speakers is how larger-than-life they sound with instruments precisely placed in a high, deep, and wide soundstage. Instruments and vocals have a realistic tonality to them, again very much larger than life. They sounded much larger than any other bookshelf speaker I've heard or auditioned, and they are almost as refined as my reference Dynaudio Contours. There are many floorstanders that don't sound as large. I was also pleased with their ability to go fairly loud before distorting. Furthermore, they offer a very rich presentation. Synths, cymbals, and acoustic guitars rule on these speakers. Vocals aren't too shabby either.

Their main weakness is their "Britishness" as stated in another review. With the front-end that I have in my bedroom system, I expected much more fluidity and a livlier presentation. Also, I expected much more detail, especially low-level information. Paradigms and B&W's have them beat in that dept. However, none of them sound as big as the Celestions.

All-in-all, these are a huge bargain. If you can find these little speakers with a very big sound, give them a try.

Strengths:
Paints a VERY BIG sound picture with uncanny soundstage depth width and height for a speaker its size, and it has excellent control during loud dynamic passages.

Weaknesses:
Not very detailed or fluid.

Similar Products Used:
Mission 751, B&W DM602, NHT Superones, Dynaudio Contour 1.3, Paradigm Mini Monitor, PSB Stratus Mini

Summary:
The Celestion Impact 15 is an affordable bookshelf speaker with realism, richness, and texture in mind over excitement and power. This speaker is very "British" sounding (a la Mission, JPW, etc.), which is to say that it is very smooth and spacious in the midrange with a warm and slightly laid-back sound even while reproducing digital. Speakers like the Paradigm Titan, NHT Superone, and Pinnacle AC650 seem to make everything sound very upfront and dynamic. However, the Impact 15's dynamics on acoustic and classical music are presented with much more authority, IMHO. Manuel de Falla's "Jota" finale from "The Three-Cornered Hat" ended with a full double-fortissimo in grand fashion without any hint of strain or distortion. That was awesome! Chris Whitley was "literally" in my living room, and I could hear all the nuances of his playing that I never heard before such as the overtones and fret-buzz coming from his Dobro on "Living With the Law". Vocals? Absolutely smooth and transparent without being too upfront. Again, subtleties such as breaths, coughs, and throat-clearing are all revealed with ultra-realism. Highs stay smooth and clearwhile remaining pleasantly warm. Bass? The Impact 15 presented bass with punch and balls, never sounding muddy. Synth bass, bass guitar, double bass, and low brass all sounded rich and full with much pace and flow. Soundstaging? These speakers present a remarkably wide soundstage that seemed to stretch well beyond the walls within room making fully accurate reproduction of multi-track recording from the first track to the last. Placement of these speakers isn't really much of an issue because marvelous stereo is heard practically within the whole room negating a sweetspot. As for imaging, the instruments had a great sense of space between them. Reverb was more apparent and there was a noticably natural decay to all of the notes even during complex passages. Overall, there are bookshelf speakers that are more dynamic and more detailed. But for the price these are hard to beat in overall presentation, especially if you value realism and texture over excitement. Furthermore, they come from one of the best known names in audio, music, and recording.