Once assembled and when the glue had set up, I had the chance to try the speakers out. The volume was kept at a sane level for a couple of CDs and then I started to increase the sound level.
The result was a definite increase in the bass response (expected) and a good clean, balanced sound through the range. The new drivers are smooth and consistant. The old drivers (both the OW1 and OW2) had some holes in the frequency range where the the volume fall-off was obvious.
I am aware that some time has to pass for the break-in period. My plan is to just play them without being too critical until a couple of months have passed.
As is, they are better by far than the old drivers and I am happy. I shouldn't need to do much to my current system except enjoy it for now.
To review, I'm running a B&K Reference 5 S2 preamp into a Parasound HCA1500A amp. My source is a Yamaha CD-S300 player connected by standard RCA cable to the B&K preamp. I have a set of Marrow MA1 interconnects from the preamp to the amp. The speaker connection is 14GA bare-ended standard type wire. Speaker placement is about 6' apart and a foot from the back wall.
I have no illusions about being an audiophile, I just want good sound. Any suggestions are welcome.