I have owned these speakers for about 8 months. Initially running off a Denon 2300X, I have since upgraded to a Marantz 7011 and an Anthem P2 amp with 350 amps / channel. First thing - these guys are loud in all cases - but never straining. As the other reviewer wrote, I have attempted to push these speakers to their peak loud/ clipping levels, but just haven't been able too without physically jeopardizing the integrity of my house. Also, I have yet to ever get fatigued. Not once, even at SUPER loud levels, have my ears ever hurt after listening to these for extended periods of time. They just will NOT distort no matter how hard I attempt to drive them. Starting with the bass and working up, the bass out of these units is superb. Not bruising or harsh, but detailed, accurate, crushing when needed, and perfect. I was first introduced to the remake of the Cranberries original Zombie by Bad wolves while I was out listening to a juke box. I liked the song a lot there having a beer. But after getting home and listening to it, you realize just how much bass is missing from a typical monitor system. Deep pipe organs are amazing without being overpowering and in movies, explosions are incredible dipping down low to rattle the floor, but still crisp without losing any detail in the upper sub range and not drowning out the mids. For movies, I have added an SVS 16 sub to get the super lows, but around 35hz, the three subs just blend together, with the Def techs winning in clarity. The mids again are very clear, and capable of driving great song acoustical vocals, to complex symphonic performances. Tweeter wise, these guys are great, rolling off the mids somewhere around the 1500 to 2000 hz area and just shining after that. (I will say that in one particular song that I can't recall now, around 9 to 11khz, was the first time I heard something harsh from the tweeter.... But I'm not sure if it was intended to sound that way or not. The soundstage on these is also unmatched. Some say that bipolar speakers lose imaging, but I actually think it helps. Listening to The Holy Men, some might think it's hard to pinpoint the instrument being played. It isn't that, but rather, the musician moving the instrument slightly.

These speakers are also super clear and detailed. Before listening to Jewel on these speakers, she was a goddess like creature incapable of making a sound that wasn't perfect. After listening to her now, every small change in pitch and volume can be heard. It's more intimate, but more exposed too. So be prepared to have perceptions change about your music. They do say never meet your hero. With respect to any weakness, they are bigger speakers, and you do have to play around with positioning to get just the right sound stage. They also require a power connection for their built in, 445 watt subs, and they are tall and narrow, so I could see a potential of a child or bigger dog knocking them over. They also aren't the most attractive speaker out there, but they are far from bad looking. (And I'd rather have a plain black speaker that sounds AMAZING over any great looking speaker that sounds okay.) Overall, I truly love these speakers. I go to a higher end store where they have a 50k two channel setup, and while those speakers have just a tad more detail in upper mid areas in symphony music, if I really had to blind test, I'd say these were the 50k speakers every time given the immense sound stage, lack of any distortion and their perfect control through all other genres of music. I've compared them to B&W's, Martin Logan's, Focal's, Higher end Klipsch units, and I love these speakers more and more after listening to anything else. OH! And if you really want to test these v. any other speaker to see just how good they are. Check out Train Song by Holly Cole. From the super low bass intro, to the subtle but still almost ear piercing triangle clink, to her smoky and sultry voice, to the soundstage. That song has it all to highlight just how good these speakers are compared to anything else out there.

NOTE: The model year of my BP8080sc's is 2012. Please note that the above box, labeled "What is the product model year?" doesn't permit an entry later than 2010.

I have owned, or extensively listened to, a large number of audiophile or near-audiophile speakers over the past decade or two. Brands include Klipsch, Acoustic Research, Magnaplanar, ADC, Definitive Technology, Velodyne, Bose, Paradigm, Hsu, and assorted lesser names. While each brand has its strong points, no single brand accomplishes what Def Tech succeeds in doing with their BP8080sc's. It is seriously difficult to know where to begin, but let's start at the top.

The BP8080sc's can reproduce shimmering highs that faithfully reproduce the crash of a 16" cymbal, including its sizzling decay. (I am a modestly accomplished drummer, guitarist and bass-player. I know what these instruments sound like L-I-V-E!) The BP8080sc's nail it. There is no hash, no ill-defined raspiness. There is only K. Zildjian cymbal splendor.

Perhaps the most pleasing aspect of the BP-8080sc's is their "you are there" midrange. The mids are reproduced faithfully -- they are neither too forward nor too recessed in the sound stage. The proof of that "you are there" pudding is that they never become tiring even at ridiculously loud volumes. And that's an acid-test. I'm convinced that these speakers could easily do real ear damage even in a fairly large room if one were stupid enough to push them to their limits. Don't do it.

As I said earlier, I am an (ear-plug-wearing) ex-bass player from a serious rock band. I know what l-o-u-d is, and I know what real, unattenuated, belly-shaking bass sounds (and feels) like. And this is where the BP-8080sc's really shine. Yes, they can reproduce bass notes loudly. But where they excel is in their definition of those bass notes. It is as if you can actually count the Hertz below about 30 Hz! They are distinct without a hint of strain or -- more bothersome -- bass bloat. It is really quite amazing -- even surpassing my 12" dedicated Hsu subwoofer in the level of detail they exhibit.

As others have stated, these speakers need breathing room. They really do. I have my BP8080sc's placed about 30" from the rear wall, and approximately 36" from the side wall. They are toed-in by approximately 20 degrees. They are quite sensitive to placement; they will require some patience to fine-tune them. But it's well worth it.

My experience with the Definitive Technology BP8080sc's has been stunning. I am hearing sounds that I've never heard before from my CD collection. (BTW, I use upsampling technology to smooth out the usually less-than-desirable standard CD sound. It works for me.) I feel like I am discovering my music collection all over again. And how can you improve on that?