I have been an audiophile for over 35 years and have owned everything from DQ-10's to Sonus Faber Piano's to Tyler Linbrooks and these are the speakers I have decided to keep. The build quality is staggering! Heavy, solid as a rock with beautiful finish. Sonically, they throw a huge soundstage and image very well. For an 8" woofer, the bass is rock solid and will shake my 14' by 24' room. The only caveat I have about the bass is that since these speakers are rear ported, you will need to get them out a few feet from the rear wall or the bass from 60hz on down will be a bit heavy.

I listen to all types of music w/the exception of country and rap...and they sound very good on both SRV and Classical music. Small ensembles are clear, with good image solidity and location. Tonally, they are fairly neutral, with just a touch of warmth in the midbass. I've used both solid state and tube amplification and they fare will with either. They essentially reproduce the characteristics of whatever they are fed with. If you can find a pair of these used, jump on them. They compete with anything I've owned up into the 4k range.

The Ushers are not only sound awesome but also are beautiful and extremely well built. After having a few issues with Magnepans, I decided to try out the Ushers. Having owned Magnepan MMG, 1.6, 3.6 and the 20, I approached the box speakers with caution. Now I can honestly say I don't miss the Magnepans. Magnepan MG20s are still among the best speakers I have heard, period, but the reliabilty and space issue were my major concerns. These Ushers have really fill my satisfaction and my appreciation for them are growing. They don't seem to have a unique signature to their sound comparing to the Magnepans or the B&W Nautilus. I would say that they do everything right, not great on one area and lack in another, but overall just right. The Usher's midrange is full and engaging, one of the best I have heard. I think of Hyperions whe I listen to the Ushers which are some of the best midrange clarity I have heard. What I don't miss about the Maggies is the bottom end, or the lack of it. The Ushers have the bass similar of the REL subwoofer sound, which are tuneful and extended, wonderful bass extension. The Usher's high is well extended, sweet and non fatigue. They give you slice of an inner experience of the music like what Magnepan often do so well. All in all, the Ushers have surprised me with the quality they deliver at this price. I have looked around and not seen anything so well rounded in sound. Wonderful speakers.

uniform response, accurate 30HZ bass response, non-fatiguing sound, incredible fit and finish

need a descent amount of space to breathe, moderately difficult 2-piece (2 person) assembly, could use more wood on the finish

In this price range there are many many wonderful speakers that bring out the best in your recordings. I feel that Usher has now established a bench-mark, reference grade speaker whose sound was only offered by a select few others in the under $5K price range. Obviously best result are found when top notch electronics are used, but the 6381's dont bite you when mid-fi gear is used too. coherent top-to-bottom frequency response combined with the most non-fatiguing sound I have ever heard lets you enjoy the music for hours on end without feeling overwhelmed. Even as good as these speakers are, Usher still has better things ahead so my beloved 6381's will soon be sold in favor of the next step up the Usher food chain......................the Dancer series.

Customer Service

so far so good

Similar Products Used:

B&W N-series, VSA 4jr's, JM Labs Magnepan, Axiom, Paradigm, Thiel, Meadowlark