Man was I excited. Even offered to help the UPS guy carry stairs them up to my apartment.

The speakers were well packed with foam moldings tightly surrounding them.

Although, the cabinets are solid and well built, I was a bit disappointed in the fit and finish. The veneer seems to be quite rough and is far from furniture quality. I was also surprised to find a couple of dents on some of the edges along with worn corners. Overall, they simply look very dull and old, nothing like the 2 Pi pictures I've seen. I'm not sure why that is. Maybe I shouldn't have ordered before the holiday season.

Needless to say, I was quite disappointed thus far, especially after the long wait.

After having them hooked up for a few minutes, placing them on some 7" stands that tilt up a few degrees, I thought they sounded thin and lifeless. The top end along with the upper midbass was a bit hot. I must admit that there are gobs of details and instrument separation was very good with great dynamics, but the sound was just not enjoyable. I wanted something a little fuller. So I tried placing them up against the corners (about 9ft apart from each other with a bit of toe in) and 9ft from my listening position. Well it worked. There's definite change in the sound for the better. Voices are full and crystal clear with a hint of warmth. The bass will go as deep as I can ask for without having to go for my sub. As a matter of fact, I prefer them without a sub. The 2 Pi seems to be quite neutral. It's hard for me to describe really. With my old speakers, it seems as if they will retain a certain sonic character going from one disc to the next. With the 2 Pi, the sound completely changes from one recording to the next. I guess one can say they are more true to the recording. They really do shine with live recordings. One can virtually hear how small or large the room is. The soundstage is perfect, albeit a couple of inches lower (vertically) than I'd like. They do an excellent disappearing act. In the end, the more I listen, the more I like.

What more can I say. The 2 Pi sounds clean and clear, with a nice tone and enough of a bottom end to satisfy most music.

For those of you who are interested, my room is about 13' x 13'. The 2 Pi's are hooked up to ASL 1005DTI using Valve Art 300B, AES AE-3 with RCA redbase 5692 pre, Sony 555ES and VPI HW19 Jr.

So, if someone here can help me get these cabinets to shine a little, I'd be completely happy with these speakers. I believe the cabinets were simply stained (dark walnut) and sealed. Thanks in advance for the suggestions.