Smooth - not edgy / ability to play at high spl's - THX ultra certified. Flexable setup for both movies and music.

Price.

I have not yet fully broken these speakers in. Notwithstanding their relatively new status in my listening room, I have been quite impressed with their ability to create a diffuse sound stage behind my seating position. They provide a smooth, unobtrustive yet extremely detailed soundstage as a surround speaker. Their flexibility to switch between a dipole and tripole with the quick removal/insertion of a jumper allows the listener to optimize the speaker for either movies or multi-channel surround music (dipole for movies and tripole for music). I have been very pleased thus far and expect that as I break them in they will be even better with time.

My home theater speaker setup is:
B&W Matrix 803 Fronts
B&W Matrix HTM Center
B&W ASW 3000 Subwoofer
M&K SS-150THX Tripoles Surrounds

I found the Tripoles by M&K to be about as good sound as I heard anywhere. I had Paradigm ADP 150 and had planned on going with the ADP 450s. After I listened to a few others, the Paradigm idea wast dropped. I narrowed my choices to: B&W THX SCM8 (Triangle Shaped) Dipole; M&K Tripoles; KEFs top of the line set; B&W CC-600 Series; Matrix 805; Matrix 803. Now, the Matrix 805 and Matrix 803 choices were serious sound added to the setup but I thought that considering the sound emminating through the back that they were too much speaker and too pricey for the purpose. It still may be the best match possible to go with Matrix 803 to match the fronts. Anyway, I then narrowed it to the B&W THX SCM8 and M&K THX Tripoles. They were pretty much a dead heat to me. I wound up getting M&K because it comes in white as well as black. The B&W SCM8 are only black and would stick out too much on the white wall. The M&K are the exact same shade of white as my walls so you hardly notice them.

I love the sound that the tripoles offer. In scenes like the car crash and electrical shorting out and dripping water in the under river tunnell of the movie Daylight, they excell. In the scene I am thinking of the left rear is dripping water, the right is electric shorting out, the fronts and center and sub is a massive and balanced explosion and a burst into flames. All 5.1 go at the exact same time. I am amazed at how well they compliment the B&W and don't just make loud sounds like some others I listened to. It handles bass rather well and, therefore, I do not need to add a second subwoofer. Try it out before you buy.

These surround speakers are great. They are only rated down to 100 Hz but don't let the specs fool you they sound like they go much lower. I think they are a little pricy. I would like to give them 4.5 stars but since I can't it will be four stars. You must audition these speakers if you are looking for surround speakers in this price range.