Thank you to those who responded;..... MOFI,, you must live at CES. However, I hope you respond again to my comments about the CNET review link provided of the new Elac bookshelf speaker to be released in April.
I generally respect your judgment on all things audio, BUT I don't know who this reviewer is or whether he has chronic earwax build-up .I don't have to be reminded that we all hear differently, or prize certain types of sound;, however, this reviewer candidly admits that the forthcoming Elac speaker has a "brightness" or bright side that made headbangers at CES show smile.
So, unless this speaker does 99 things better, a brightness factor places it in the same category as about 90% percent of the other so-called uberkind.bookshelves. Case in point: Steven Guttenberg who is an occasional contributor to Stereophile gushed over the Wharfdale Jade 3 ($1500) which I later discovered has both a glacial break in period (1000 hours), but also has a hot or edgy top end. So much for reviews and reviewers!! I recall a new member who posted up and claimded the Jade 3's did not sound right, and was suicidal or suffered chronic buyers remorse.
I responded as did about 37 other members about what he should do I advised him to return the new speakers to the dealer, and take the demoes home to see if they sounded better in his system\ as they did im the showroom Yes, he may have had a system compatibility problem which many of us hardened audiophiles think we have solved.
Believe me I hope the Elac ( freakin model number needs decryption by Belchley Park) is as good as it gets for $500. With all due respect to MOFI and others, I fear that new Elac will suffer from the same post CES runaway overhype and enthusiasm.
I wish the L.A. Forum (Metro) would have a hi-fi show like CES. We have just as good restaurants, hotels, escort services, acupuncture and tofu crystal practitioners as Las Vegas. As MOFI recommends, I will/might wait to April to hear the new Elac, or just buy a pair of well-refurbished of Dynaco A-25's (which I ask about in other threads related to vintage speakers that convey emotion ), and hope they don't explode from old age while playing Yes's "Close to the Edge".