I just picked up a pair of these for $100, knowing that I could easily get $300 off of them on Ebay or Craigslist. I will be comparing them to the only speakers that I have heard that compare at all to them, my Klipsch KG4's.

First off, these things are undeniably heavy. They are noticeably heavier than my KG4's, Kenwood KL-888X's, or any other speaker I have transported. I think this is within good reason, though. I believe a heavy speaker helps direct sound better because it is in better contact with the ground. The components themselves are very light, so most of the weight comes from the very thick cabinetry. After inspecting what's inside the cabinet, I have come to the conclusion that this speaker has exceptional build quality. It is packed with quality insulation, which, rather than just being thrown in there, seemed to be folded and placed with precision. The crossover seemed more purposeful than most I have seen as well. And, as stated before, the cabinet itself it THICK. Other parts like the tweeter "stage" and the metal poles on the side are also well designed. Technics even put a good amount of though into the grilles. When I first saw the screw on the top face, it looked like two of them were out of place because the had larger, rounder heads than the other. Those bolt heads are actually what the top part of the grille grabs on to. The other grille rest lightly between the metal poles. The grille cloth feels like it isn't cheap, like it is acoustically tuned or something. The only problem I have with the build quality is the vinyl, as it doesn't have the striped veneer look to it (personal taste) and it peels quite easily. Otherwise, I think Technics did an exceptional job with their build quality.

As far as how they sound...well, they sound like they look :D The tweeters are the showcase on the exterior, and they are the showcase of the sound stage. The are unbelievably precise, and love a challenge. Should you throw any complicated, multi tone pattern at them, they will handle it with ease. For this reason, they also make any bad sound recording obvious, as well as bad stereo equipment. The odd part, though, is that they are delicate and warm. Much warmer, in fact, than my KG4's, as well as more precise. If you position yourself a few feet away from them, as you should, they don't exhibit a bright personality, yet manage to distinguish every note. Needless to say, the tweeter is desperately good.

The woofer, although not as talented, is nothing to complain about either. It is very crisp, and since it is vented, it can go decently low. I would say its sub-100hz frequency response is similar to my KG4's, which have a rear-firing passive radiator. I attribute the tightness of the bass to the amount of acoustic deadening, which might also be the reason why it isn't quite as loud as the woofers on the KG4's. Whereas the tweeter on this trumps the KG4's, I prefer the bottom end of the KG4's.

Second to the sound of the tweeter is just how, for a lack of a better word, awesome they make a stereo room look. They attract immediate attention, and always have people asking questions. I also like how you can see the tweeter and woofer ever so slightly through the grilles when they are on.

Overall, it's a hard package to beat for $100. Would I pay $300-$400 for them? Probably not. That's Heresy territory. But should you find them for under $200, I would say give them a listen (with the tweeter control at 10, as that's where they truly open up), and decide for yourself if they are worth the money. I think their resale value will remain as is for at least a few years, so you might even be able to get some money off of them if you upgrade!