I received my Mach 17's in July, 1999, and *everything* that Mr. Oberoi said above, and that I read in the audio press, was true. The first night I stayed up late and listened to all my favorite CD's -- hearing nuances (and sometimes flaws) I'd never noticed before.

But the best thing about the transaction was that the shipper damaged my speakers en route. I called Waveform, and the President answered the phone, of course. The new part went out that day, and within 48 hours, I was back in the game. I've never experienced customer service with any product I've purchased that matches Waveform. These guys bend over backwards for their customers.

The whole crossover/set-up thing is terrifying to a technophobe like myself, but Waveform talks you through everything and provides fabulous directions. They offer discounts on some equipment, like the Bryston amps I bought at the same time.

For sound, value, and service, five stars aren't enough. I have never had a problem with these speakers.

System:

2 Bryston 5Bs
Bryston pre-amp
NAD 515 CD player

Needless to say, I plan to upgrade my CD player soon, and my speakers never. Er, until Waveform betters them. ;-)

Virtually flat frequency response, deep & powerfull bass, unbelievably great tweeter

Needs triamplification (both a weakness and a strength-but adds to the overall cost)

You saw what others have to say. This is a most under-promoted and well-hidden product. It is designed for those who want the very best music reproduction and are not trying to impress their friends that they spent over $100,000 for their great system. Truly a music lover's system. You still need About $10,500 even if you go low-ball on cable/wire and amps. And you can go low-ball on those things, if you know what to get, and still have the same sound (lacking perhaps a little overhead).

You can get amazing sound out of these speakers with 50 watts per driver-consider a six-channel amp by any good company ranging from Marantz to Bryston (built like 15th century cathedrals-beautiful, heavy and will last for 1000 years).

I have listened to B&W (801,802,803, Silver signature), Revel (Salon, Ultima, Studio), Wilson Audio (Watt-Puppy, Grand-Slamm), Aerial Acoustics (7 & 10), Dunlavy, Sonus-Faber, Duntech, Monitor Audio (way out-classed here), Vandersteen (all) and even that nice attempt by Sony, plus a smattering of other offerings for brief listens. Yes, I included electrostatics, but they are a whole different game.

John Otvos is a real gentleman and a perfectionist. He stands behind his stuff by all accounts I have found (no chance to test him yet, personally).

John doesn't advertise much, but then you don't pay double for those big glossy pages in Stereophile, etc. Someday, he may have to start and you could be out on a tremendous deal.

Good shopping!

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Really nothing comes close for twice the money

Music reproduction of such realism and clarity that if you close my eyes I could honestly swear that I''m listening to live music , Beauty of design so outstanding . and ...best of all exemplary 1st class service and attention directly form the main man.

IN ALL HONESTY AND TRUTH ...NONE

I recieved my Mach 17s by the end of December 1999 , putting the system together was really easy , in fact I''d go as far as to say a real joy . Mr.John Otvos , the genius behind those speakers , has worked out all the details from taking them out of the box to setting them up , the whole in such an easy ,safe and fun way that anyone would get a kick out of it but that's only the begining...the real joy is in the actual listening.Music with no "borders" or limitations , a rich soundstage so realistic that with eyes closed one would swear that it's live music, resolution and definition on all the spectrum that makes the listening so enjoyable,no listeners' fatigue here. All the notes sound so real with a mellow timber and no distortion even in those passages where other speakers many times the price would have long given up. No words can describe the joy of actually listening to those speakers.
That's not all folks , talk about works of art , the design of the Mach17s is so artistic not only are they so unintrusive in a rooms' decor but I do find that they add a touch of beauty .
Now ...service ..what can I say , they back up anything they sell with speed , efficiency and courtesy that I believe is absolutely first class . The big boys of the industry would have a lot to learn from that small almost one man show . When Mr.Otvos says that it will be the definitive purchase ...I beleive him 100 percent.

Good Bass, Clean sound

Lack of depth, imaging and palpability I expected from the product at this price point.

Being in audio for over 25 years, I have always believed the search for the ultimate audio system to be a never ending journey. However, a 5.0 rating from 11 reviewers on this forum and a Class "A" rating in stereophile led me to believe that finally there was a speaker that was noting less then perfect.

In my search for a better speaker then I had about 18 months back, I had considered Waveform Mach 17, along with Vandersteen Model 5. However, as I could not audition the Mach 17, at that time, I passed up the opportunity to try them at home for free. I ended up buying Vandersteen Model 5s. However, on finding out recently that I could now go and audition them only 15 minutes from my home, I took on the challange to go listen to what all this rave was about.

I should caution, before I submit my comment that I am an audiophile who prefers tubes to solid state. To me imaging, tonal accuracy, sound staging and palpability is more important then most other things. I also believe that systems can be tweaked to sound a lot better then do without them.

So the system I heard was what is recommended by the manufacturer. Two Bryston 3 Channels Amps along with garden variety interconnects and speaker cables. All that are again recommended by the manufacturer. To say I was disappointed will be a gross understatement, based upon my preferences. No imaging, no soundstaging, no papability. Clean sound with bass, yes, but nothing else. I believe that the speakers demonstrated potential to sound better, if used with better electronics, interconnects etc. etc. How much better, I could not say.

I have heard my fair share of equipment and speakers in 25 years in the hobby. I know if not set up properly the same speakers can be made to sound bad, while a properly set pair of the same speakers can bring tears to your eyes. Therefore, I cannot say whether it was not the proper placement or tweaks that made them sound so flat. All I can say is that with the recommended hardware, they completely failed to ring my bell.

Now, some people would contend that a live recording does not have the depth or width or palpability that I so dearly love. To that, I would say that they have not heard many live performances or none at all. I have heard flat sounding live performances, however, I have also heard near holographic live performances. Again this would depend on the accoustics of the hall/room, and the associated equipment.

Many would also question that then what makes Mach 17, a Class"A" component in Stereophile. To that answers is simpler. Having known many audio reviewrs and heard their set up, all I would say that all of them are eloquent writers, but many of them have set up that sucks big time. In fact I have yet to hear a system at a reviewers home that brought tears to my eyes. Besides just like my review, they reflect an opinion of one person. My only suggestion as always would be to audition a system before you buy. After one buys something, it becomes easier to give it a perfect 5. After all we want to jusity what we purchased was a smart investment, also called buyers remorse.

One thing this audition did prove is that my journey in search of a perfect system will continue.

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Vandersteen Model 5

Transparency, flat response, dynamics, spatial presentation

A tiny bit on the warm/sweet side of things

I have owned countless speaker systems over the years, and always traded or sold them after 6 months - 9 months. I was searching for the Holy Grail, the unattainable, it seems. I wanted a speaker that was full-range, utterly transparent, low in distortion and colration, and sounded like a musical event rather than a transducer event.

I happened onto John Otvos et al because I liked the look of the speaker. Then, I liked the engneering philosophy and pedigree of Claude Fortier.

I had one of the first pairs in the US, bought unheard with the 30-day listening option.

Here's the skinny - they still sit where they did when I installed them, and I have no intention of getting rid of them. They sound wonderful, look wonderful, and are built to last.

As an audio journalist, I have access to many fine speakers, and have owned Thiels, Dunlavy, Vandersteen, and many more.

These are simply the finest speakers known to me.