The bookshelf is kind of a mixed bag, although a solid entry in this price class. The build quality is quite good, although I think most people would wish they could have used the piano black finish on the front baffle as well as the sides. The bass extension is decent and clean. What I can't quite figure out is the wave guide. I had too many unknowns and not enough equations, so I couldn't tell what frequency response irregularities were due to the guide and which were inherent to the tweeter and/or crossover. Out to about 30 degrees horizontally, the wave guide wasn't preventing some dips and peaks in the response. Past 30 degrees, the response smoothed out and was very well controlled. The overall sound wasn't my cup of tea--the crossover blend wasn't very tight, and I thought the lower treble suffered. The upper highs are elevated, but I'm sure many people will like the airy presentation. The sound reminded me very much of the Revel M16, but was very different from the ELAC DBR-62 in the lower treble. Speaking of which, I just noticed that the price of the Elacs has just gone up $150 to $699/pair in all of the finishes. Inflation is definitely with us.