Okay, so I'm not going to write a small novel this time. I just want to drop a line and say that these speakers, the BIC bookshelves, are NOT hype. They're quite awesome. Somewhat bright (I plan on getting the crossover mod done), but by no means murderous highs. The midrange is very clear. I think it's better than the B&W 705s personally. The bass on these is really special though. I'm really impressed without the output and tightness of the bass on these speakers. Right now I'm blasting Pink Floyd at ear-damaging levels (I actually have hearing protection on, as I can't be any closer than 20 ft to the speakers without it being too loud). They show no signs of distortion or distress. The VU meters on my old Yammie receiver indicate they're seeing 40 watt peaks.
When I first bought these, I was worried that they could handle high SPLs without distortion. NO worries there. At all.
After listening to these, I'm convinced that you can't find a better value for anywhere near the price.