Volent Paragon VL-2 or Monitor Audio Platinum?

Jmbatkh, Thanks for the insight. Whats your opinion about their upper bass/lower midrange? Are they on the leaner side of the spectrum or thinner/warmer side?

Branislav, Thanks for your response. I'd like to hear your opinion regarding their lower midrange/upper bass too. IMO a bit fuller sound at that freq band is always helpful for the kind of music I listen to. Anything comes to your mind regarding 'better alternatives'?

You know, in all honesty, I can't say if their upper bass is more full and warm or lean and dry. A lot of that will have to do with the electronics you use. One switch on my interconnects will make it go from ying to yang and vice versa.I do have to say their bass is very good, as is the rest of the spectrum. One thing to keep in mind is that they are quite revealing and in my opinion an upfront/lively/revealing speaker (though I wouldn't call them aggressive), which means a lot of effort has to be put in the rest of the equipment. I would recommend a laid back cd player and amplifier. Also one of their minor points is that their image is a bit smaller than life...yes they do have good depth, and width, but their height is a bit limited (at least in my case). But of course I'm coming from an omnidirectional speaker that threw a huge soundstage, but a lot of the details were left to your imagination and low level resolution were barely average. Eveything has pros and cons. Hope that helps somewhat.

The upper bass in my systems is definitely on the rich side, as opposed to lean and dry. For me, it adds to the overall sweetness and listenability. The remarkable thing is that the extra lower mid/upper bass body is not purchased by obfuscation, slowness or loss of detail in that range, which is the real surprise for me. It is one of their many remarkable qualities.

Jmbatkh and Branislav, Thanks for the helpful replies. :-)