I listened to them at Axpona. Granted, the room was crowded and I had to stand in a less than ideal spot (right next to Jeff Joseph). I had no idea the drivers were so small-five inch or so? The sound was good but after five minutes I identified the general nature at play-highly detailed and precise-what I call "hi fi". They are beautiful and WAF friendly with a relatively small footprint and I can fully understand the praise, they are just not my cup of tea from what I heard in Schaumburg. Listening to these brought to mind some relative newbie on an audio forum who once asked "what speaker sounds like laser beams?". IMHO there are speakers that appeal to the head and those that appeal to the heart. I don't care for speakers that mimic headphones. I prefer headphones that mimic loudspeakers.
If I may elaborate just a bit more, I believe that the Volti Audio Rival room was at the other end of the spectrum and also not in my sweet spot though I again recognize the appeal. This room was crowded both times I entered and the Volti Rivals being played had a prominent "Sold" sign on them. They were champions of texture and tone but were a bit plodding and slow, and just a shade dull. And though beautiful to look at, they were certainly not svelte or likely to meet approval by a non-audiophile spouse.
If I may elaborate just a bit more, I believe that the Volti Audio Rival room was at the other end of the spectrum and also not in my sweet spot though I again recognize the appeal. This room was crowded both times I entered and the Volti Rivals being played had a prominent "Sold" sign on them. They were champions of texture and tone but were a bit plodding and slow, and just a shade dull. And though beautiful to look at, they were certainly not svelte or likely to meet approval by a non-audiophile spouse.