i mean, they are more than the bookshelves...what gives??? do they have more speakers in them or something? i'm confused here...what makes them so great? just wondering...thinking about getting the rest of my speakers in Axioms now

4 drivers per. So yes, more drivers than the bookshelves.

Demand I'm sure plays a part as well. The QS8's are highly regarded speakers.

jinx: so expensive as compared to what? There are so many speakers out there that cost so much more than Axioms that I could hardly call anything that Axiom makes "expensive."

Of course, that is just one man's opinion.

Oh, one other thing to remember: "When was the last time that you got MORE than you paid for?" You can probably remember paying and getting LESS, but what about MORE?

They should be more expensive, they have 4 drivers all firing in-phase. Bookshelves are usually 2-way and are considered direct radiating. Surrounds are intended to envelope you in sound, bookshelves can't do that, unless you line your walls with multiple speakers like in the movie theater...

Try lifting a Qs8 and you'll say dang these things are heavy.

Not sure why you would compare a quadpolar design to a bookshelf?

Like everyone else is saying... the QS8 is basically two M2s in one box, at less than twice the price. That's one of the reasons the power handling is so high. Picking them up is a real shock -- they are very heavy for their size.