Price Paid:  $400.00 from Asia Sound

Summary:
I have the new model 706s which look much better and sound fantastic.
They are one of the most neutral speakers I have heard. The top to bottom coherance is very smooth with excellent detail. I use these in my master bedroom and are driven by a Carver M400 cube directly fed from a sony 5Es cd play with no pre amp. In my main room I have Chorus 725 as my mains and when compared to the 706s the later leave them behind in all areas except bass extension and ultimate loudness. The 706s disappear in the listening room and you don't hear the loudspeakers just the music. When hooked up to my Velodyne FR1800II and crossed over at 80hertz they blow you away even in a large room. They have suprised me enormasly with their detail and transient responce. It is very hard to critisize the treble, mids or bass as they blend together seamlessly. Very good resolution even at low volumes.

Strengths:
Speed, detail, coherance

Weaknesses:
none

Similar Products Used:
B&W, EV SENTRY 100 AND 500, JM-LAB 725
DYAUDIO, JBL, PARADIGM, AE, MISSION

Price Paid:  $350.00 from The Sound Concept

Summary:
Perhaps the best standmount speaker you can buy in its (under $500/pair) price class! I usually prefer floorstanders, but these were purchased for my bedroom system where size & (adjustable via stands) height is more important than bass extension. No regrets. Noticeably better than JMLab 705 and PSB Image 1B & 2B, IMHO.

In order to judge their potential, I temporarily compared them to my Thiel CS1.6's in my main living room system; while the 5X-the-price Thiels were clearly superior (as you would hope/expect), the baby JM sounded surprisingly good when paired with superior electronics. In fact, after hearing how good they *could* sound, I now have to buy a better source component for my bedroom! The JMLab's will survive some upgrades of your other components :) You'd have to spend more than twice as much on speakers (Magnepan MGMC1, paired with a small sub, e.g.) to get significantly better sound, IMHO.

They are sweet & detailed, yet lack any trace of fatigueing treble that some competitors suffer in their attempt to be as detailed. Even better than PSB's acclaimed Image series, e.g., which sound just a little harsh by comparison. (They're also even more attractive looking than most comparably priced speakers, incl. PSB.) There's also just enough bass extension that a sub isn't a must (though it could help); and what bass there is is relatively taught and controlled, not boomy like many small speakers.

Strengths:
Nicely detailed yet smooth & sweet, with no harsh treble. And just enough bass extension that a sub isn't an absolute must, though a good sub (like my Rel Strata III in my main system) can make a nice improvement. They're also quite attractive (in Calvados, e.g.).

Weaknesses:
At this price, NONE, really. If you can pay at least twice the price, you'll be rewarded with much better bass, perhaps real wood veneer, etc...

Similar Products Used:
PSB Image 1B, 2B; JMLab Chorus 705; Thiel CS1.6; Def Tech Studio 350; Acoustic Energy Aegis Evo 1 (not bad!); Totem Dreamcatcher (great for the size); B&W (no contest); Paradigm; Klipsch; Athena Tech;

Price Paid:  $230.00 from Germany

Summary:
This is for the Studio guys of us:
Hours of listening to Jazz/New Age Piano/Rock/Pop made the JM 706 being my favourite over the B&W DM601 which

sound rather aggressive after listening for more than an hour, especially when you're sitting closer than 2m in

front of'em. The JM's are less "crisp" in the mid-highs than a good studio monitor (JBL 4408, Genelec >=1030A

etc.) but even though reveal every detail that's in the music. And they're less fatiguing IMHO. A good

recommendation especially for near(er) field monitoring or simply as a good pair of bookshelf speakers. For the

size, you get more than enough bass also, even though they're certainly not built for that purpose ;-)

Strengths:
Finish, design (Calvados looks pretty), neutral sound, comfortable listening, non-fatiguing, good resolution

Weaknesses:
- Don't sound as spectacular as other speakers do. Don't be mislead by the first 20 minutes you listen to them in the shop!!!
- The bass reflex tunnel glued to the wooden housing has gone loose on one of my 706's, seems they have used the wrong type of glue - nothing tragic however.

Similar Products Used:
JBL 4408 Studio Monitor, Tannoy Reveal, ACR Isostatic 200, Fostex FE103 Sigma in BR housings

Price Paid:  $400.00 from Sound World

Summary:
Didn't appreciate the 706's sound at first because it sounded thin and harsh. However, after almost two months of breakin these speakers will perform to no dissatisfaction. I auditioned the 705's and love them, and purchased the 706's so to handle heaver type music. I do however think the 705's played better vocals. Who knows, they had better equipment in the showroom. I don't believe there is better in this price category.

Strengths:
*Sweet Mids
*Detailed Highs
*Suitable for most types of music

Weaknesses:
Long break-in
Lower Bass extension
no bi-wiring

Price Paid:  $400.00 from Hifi Sales in Mesa

Summary:
I shopped everything in this class from B&W to Linn to Paradigm, and nothing came close to the level of performance that these speakers come to. I would, and do, recommend these to anyone looking for a bargain speaker.

Strengths:
Depth, price, dealer service

Similar Products Used:
B&W 600series 3, Paradigm Monitor series