My thought on these speakers.
Build quality is just ok. About what you expect from $200 speakers. One complain is the grilles. They are difficult to take off and it feels like they will break when you are trying to take them off.
Looks wise, yes they are just black boxes with sharp edges but I think they look pretty good with the grilles off.
Now on the most important thing, the sound. My first thought after listening to them is that they have a neutral sound. Very good balance of mids and highs. Bass is also pretty good for a speaker of this size. It is tight and not boomy. Maybe the front ports help with that?
The soundstage is not very wide but the depth is good. Very good actually for the price point. Good resolution too.
What impresses me the most with these speakers, is the highs. Very clear highs for a soft dome tweeter. Dialogue in movies is greatly improved from the Boston A series I was using before.
Movies sound very good even in my wide open living area. Music also sounds good. No mushy bass or piercing highs. Just the right amount of balance of highs and lows.
Overall, these are very good all around performers at the price point. I definitely recommend them to anyone with a limited budget. 5 of these and a $500 sub from one of the ID companies gives you a very capable system for $1000 in a small to medium room.
I am impressed for the price and satisfied with my purchase.