Well, I worked for Magnolia a short bit and got to hear the Blade 2s, but unfortunately they were hooked up to McIntosh electronics, which, to me, is like throwing a wet blanket over the speakers so I don’t think I heard them at their best. That said, I did get to hear the original Blades at a show hooked up to I think Coda electronics and they sounded really good. But, and this is only based on my tastes and opinion, I’d take the Joseph Audio Pearls or Vandy Quatros any day over Blades. Just my $0.02 FWIW.