Price Paid:  $750.00 from SpeakerCity.com

Summary:
I purchased a pair of these guys to upgrade my venerable Edge Audio LR-502s, which are a fine sounding small speaker. To my disappointment, they were somewhat larger than I expected, measuring 16" x 10+" x 13". I do suspect that these cases are ''made in China'', where they take such matters a little less seriously. These were going to be my "portable" system, but now, I''m going to have to reconsider. The quality of the cases is excellent, however. I purchased a pair of Madisound Seas ''Odin'' speakers and the cases are virtually the same, so that I have fine matched set for my home theater setup. The stain that I chose was cherry, for two reasons: to match my cherry HT console and to see if they could do a good job of ''cherry on oak'' staining. The color results are somewhat mixed. One of them is quite dark and the other has the lighter hue, that I always seem to attain. This color, however, has the less desireable tendancy to appear pinkish when it refracts light. The overall finish quality was also excellent. Assembly: This kit is a bargain to assemble, since you only have to solder six joints, glue and/or screw in the crossover, and drill holes for the speakers and terminals. It takes about 20 min/spker. I chose to replace all of the packaged wiring with Nordhost flat wiring which adds about 30 mins/spkr. The designer also chose to mount the crossover on mason board, which I''ve done before with computer busses, and which provides good insulation and a firm base for a small price. Sound: I chose these speakers for the two ScanSpeak drivers which are found in many other designs, including some of the more pricey nOrhs. Here, I was not disappointed. After some break-in period, the overall sound was harmonically some of the best I''ve ever heard. Saxes, flutes, french horns and trumpets are glorious. The human voice is almost flawlessly rendered. The midrange on these speakers is very similar to the Rogers LS 3/5aS, but the sound is much less boxy. I didn''t sense the ''laid back'' sound that other readers have pointed out, but this may be due to my change in the internal wiring.

Strengths:
+ Extraordinary harmonics; + pure rendering of instruments and vocals; + crystalline highs; + very fine reproduction of drums, both timpanic and snare; + price/performance

Weaknesses:
- Soundstage is a little flatter than some pricer speakers, but it is very ''wide''. There isn''t that ''sphere'' surrounding each voice or vocal. This effect may be caused by my shortened break in period. I''ll have to wait and see. Neutral: I observed one strange behaviour with my modification: I preferred a more ''laid back'' cable, e.g., the Wireworld Oasis III to the edgier silver-based Kimber Silver Streaks, Better Cable Silver Serpent, or Elco Silvers. In fact, when playing Janacek''s Sinfonietta, the trumpet attacks were just too harsh for me to listen too; then again, this just might be a travail of the break-in period. Neutral: It is a two-way system and, as is the case, the woofer is asked to ''do too much''.

Similar Products Used:
Vandersteen, Von Schweikert, Edge, Rogers, Magnepan

Price Paid:  $1000.00 from Speakercity

Summary:
I bought these over a year ago and I am very please with them. I purchased them without listening to them but bought them because of the ScanSpeak drivers. I am glad I purchased them. The throw a deep, wide and accurate soundstage. Once they even made my wife cry while listening to Celine Dion...that's the ultimate compliment!

I accidently tore the grill one evening and SpeakerCity sent
me out some replacement fabric at no charge!

Have fun and build your own speaker because you don't have to settle for second rate sound. Happy Listening!

Strengths:
Soundstage, bass and imaging.

Weaknesses:
A little laid back.

Similar Products Used:
Von Schweikert, Celestion Kingston, Kef LS35a

Price Paid:  $950.00 from speakercity

Summary:
After messing around with paradigm, mission, and dynaudio I was left with wanting more but unable to spend the $2000 needed to get what I wanted. Reading through the forums at audioasylum I heard about these speakers and how they came with scanspeak drivers and the high quality of the crossovers so I decided to gamble with them and order. I got the 9500 tweeter and 8546 kevlar drivers. The kevlar matches well with my jolida integrated, producing very clear and rich sound, if not a bit on the dry side. The bass is very deep and solid, soundstage is huge, and best quality is the midrange which is very clear with no veiling at all. Midrange might be a little too forward but I like it. My advice is to call and ask for some of the older models they want to get rid of, you can pick them up for around $400 which is an absolute steal. The extra 550 I spent to get what I wanted probably wasn't worth it to me, since I don't feel it made anything twice as good. If you want to know more just email me, I'll be happy to provide a more thorough and indepth review. Overall I am very satisfied with these speakers, and I don't think you can get a better deal without spending at least $1500.

Strengths:
very good price, high quality component, good service

Weaknesses:
no resale value, almost non existant warranty, no auditions

Similar Products Used:
missions, paradigm, dynaudio

Summary:
Anyone who is familiar with audiophile speakers will immediately recognize the quality of components that go into the Scan 7. The Scan-Speak drivers are revered as some of the top drivers available today, and the crossover components are what you would find in much more expensive speakers.

The soundstage is wide and VERY deep. Works great in home theater as well (I use as L-C and R). Dynamics are excellent. If you really want to make these shine, I highly recommend the Modern Audio Designs Silver plated cables and interconnects. I was using Kimber PBJs, but the sound was way too warm with those. Silver realy opens up the mids and highs that these babys can deliver.

I would also recommend using the Scan-Speak 9500 tweeter rather than the 9300.

I have compared these to the Legacy Audio little tow way. The Scan 7s trounced them when it came to sound and quality of crossover components, but the Legacy's are so nice to look at. An extremely good value.

Strengths:
images great, resolves detail, good bass

Weaknesses:
somewhat sensitive to equipment and cables used.

Similar Products Used:
Legacy Audio

Summary:
excellent, warm tonal balance. microdynamics in abundance. they can play LOUD. bass below 60 hz a little slow, but not weak. use good subwoofers in a room larger than 9x13 feet. the pair that i bought are the older box style, 14x10x12. they can disappear sonically, and still have almost perfect tonal balance. good speakers at a fair price.