Price Paid:  $400.00 from Ebay

Summary:
I got these because of the price, and all the great reviews from AudioReview. In one review, someone posted a link to an Audiophile magazine that gave them a few Editor's Choice awards. I am big on audio QUALITY as in bitrates, but I wouldn't say I have such specific tastes in speakers. Maybe its because I've never compared speakers to speakers in a perfect setting.
Anyway, I didn't want to go the crappy best buy box route. So..After reading these reviews and seeing the price, I went for them. Figuring "Hey! All these great reviews...how can they be bad?"
I am very pleased with these speakers. The bass is not weak at all...I have the volume very low on it and still some movies shake the walls to death. I believe the speakers themselves are very articulate...when watching the first Lord of the Rings when Frodo is in the forest by himself...You can hear every bird chirp and every grasshopper buzz behind you...Seems to me that a speaker that lets you hear those fine, fine details HAS to be rockin.
The only bad part, though its not the speaker's fault...Was my Sony tuner. At this point in life I cannot afford to drop $600 on a tuner. After fiddeling with my tuner enough, I got these speakers to sound waaaayyy better than they did out of the box. The bass is very responsive...and it REALLY makes it damn near close to the rated 30Mhz freq. No exaggeration there.

Strengths:
-Very pretty, even includes fabric gloves to handle them
-Small, easy to manage
-Sound great. Even though they're small...you'd swear I had huge floor speakers in my room. They are very powerful, and do not lack in presence.

Weaknesses:
-I believe the only weakness lies in the fact that because they are small, the speakers cannot put out warmth and bass in themselves. They rely on the sub, which of course is logical. The sub does cover them very, very well. However, sometimes when I listen to my older Vega speakers even without the sub connected, I can hear the natural warmth and tone that larger speakers have. That is only thing that I feel these speakers are missing...naturally because of their size.

beefeater

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
3 Months to 1 year

Price Paid:  $265.00 from J&R New York (pick u

Summary:
If you are looking for a great sounding system on the cheap, this will fit the bill. When set up with my Onkyo tx-sr503 receiver, sounds more expensive than it is. Many people say that the subwoofer is not powerful enough, but room placement is the villain. In my dorm, had the subwoofer under my desk and almost no bass came to me. When I got up, the bass was too powerful. I move the sub next to my fridge and the bass spreads out more evenly. This weird bass placement somehow stops the sound from escaping outside too. The treble is excellent and the bass isn't muddy. The midrange seems a little recessed, but not incredibly so. They do not distort at loud volumes much, but not great for listening to at very low volumes (lower than voice). Esthetically, I've never seen better looking speakers. Piano black finish looks "sexy" according to people who have seen them; I tend to agree. I've had no problems with the sub popping.

Strengths:
-Sound quality -Sound Accuracy -Soundstage -Distortion at high volumes -Neighbor Annoyance -Looks -Amazing Value

Weaknesses:
-Midrange slightly recessed -Easy to scratch -Big and heavy (hard to transport) -Subwoofer picky about placement

Price Paid:  $299.00 from Best Buy

Summary:
Unbelievable!! What more can I say!! Absolutely clear sound reproduction for the price. Sub cranks with the best of them, and it is LARGE. This speaker system works well for both CD audio and Surround Sound (DVD's). A super bargain at this pricepoint. The finish on these speakers are unsurpassed (Piano black with an almost mirror-like finish) and AR even provides a set of white gloves to avoid finger prints during installation!! These puppies look and sound expensive. Little do my friends suspect that I acquired them on the cheap. I purchased these WITHOUT hearing them based on reviews from other individuals on AR products in general. My only suprise was that they were far better than imagined. With the small size, they are unobtrusive in the room until you crank them, then they sound like much more expensive speakers.

Strengths:
Price Sound quality Exterior finish Subwoof

Weaknesses:
Large sub Wiring terminals are hard to access with large hands

Similar Products Used:
Bose, Polk,

Price Paid:  $300.00 from HH Gregg

Summary:
Absolutely a wonderful sounding system with my HK 525. These speakers are smooth and loud. acoustic guitars sound as if they are being played in the room with you.

Strengths:
Smooth sound,beautiful look

Weaknesses:
SPL

Similar Products Used:
JBL northridge

Price Paid:  $400.00 from J&R

Summary:
I initially planned on getting Polk RM6000 set, which are around $300, but after listening to them, and then the HC6, it was like day and night. Polks are completely flat. These ones have sound. Connected to Sony DE875 receiver, those speakers can get VERY loud (for a medium sized room). The sub is great. Very tight bass. What i dislike about the sub though, although i dont know how it is on other systems, is that it tends to shut off if no signal is sent to it, producing a mild pop.

Strengths:
Sound. Haven't found anything better for the price

Weaknesses:
Subwoofer tends to shut off too quickly.

Similar Products Used:
tested Polk RM6000