Q Acoustics 5050 Floorstanding Speakers – Holme Oak (Pair)

Usage: Home Theatre, Music, and Gaming; Marantz preamp and amps with Audyssey XT32; crossovers at 40hz or 60hz with two JL sealed subwoofers in a large room. With Audyssey XT32 and 5-channel music sources, the soundstage is less like headphones and more like the room and speakers disappear. The 5050s seem eerily effortless, with a deep and wide IMAX-like soundstage and liquid clarity that I initially had to get used to--a combination that no headphones can manage. Stereo sources without Audyssey are equally clear and have an excellent, if more traditional, stereo image. The frequency response and soundstage seem constant at low and high levels, requiring a warning sign like a side mirror on a car: "Sonic Images are Louder Than They Appear"; effortless power-handling. The build quality is excellent, and I love the modest size compared to the ease with which they handle the large room. They are very attractive compared to many alternatives.The 5050s are paired with a KEF center channel and side channels. I am pleased and relieved that they work so well together--I've had difficulty matching the concentric midrange/tweeter of the KEFs with other high-efficiency speakers in the past. Among my other contenders were Polk R700s and KEF floorstanders. Either of those would have been excellent for this setup.I chose the Q5050s for their efficiency, availability (i.e., R700s were on backorder), looks, and the flood of positive reviews from sites that tend to review new English-designed speakers. Now that I've heard them, I cannot criticize the press! These will always be paired with subwoofers, so I don't need floor standers with built-in subwoofers. Likewise, why choose stand-mounts when such beautiful, diminutive floor standers come with more box for the boom? I test my portable bass guitar effects through this system, and I can confirm that between 40hz and ~550hz, these pound out the worst bass abuse at any legal level--I have felled some giants with this test. There are many excellent alternatives in this price range, so some homework is worthwhile before making a leap--If you jump this way, I doubt you'll have regrets. Note: One of the two I received initially was DOA--I'd guess from an internal connection rattling loose during shipping. The easy return and replacement process through Amazon eliminated the frustration snowball that can start rolling after a problem with a piece of expensive audio equipment.