The main goal of this design was to evaluate the performance of the new Reference Series tweeters, and I think that this design definitely put them to the test. From a sonic standpoint, the tweeters offer extremely clean and detailed sound, particularly in the lower treble. The top end performance is good; the natural dip between 15k and 18k does not seem to detract from the upper-end extension. One of the attributes of this tweeter that is very interesting is that it does not suffer from any "metal dome" sound. In a blind listening test, I don't think that many people would be able to call this tweeter out as a metal dome. The RS tweeters seemed to handle their low crossover point with ease; even at high listening levels, I could detect no signs of strain. So, I would give these tweeters the "thumbs up" to crossover points below 2k.

It's tough to make a lot of general comments about the speakers; I feel that they do very well in just about every respect, and I cannot pinpoint any particular problem areas. Relative to other speakers I've heard recently, I would say that these excel at their imaging abilities and also in their great dynamic range. They can easily disappear into the room, but at the same time have an outstanding ability to precisely recreate anything from extremely quiet passages to full-orchestra crescendos. Every time I sit down to listen, regardless of the music selection, I seem to quickly and easily get pulled into the music. All in all, these are some of the best all-around speakers that I have heard in the DIY community in a long time, and I think they would easily match or outperform all but the most expensive audiophile loudspeakers.