I finally got around to installing my Algonquins on the outdoor patio. I am no trained audiophile, just a pretender, so no detailed, technical review. Just this: Awesome. These speakers have far exceeded my expectations.

I have the Algonquins hooked up to my whole house aduio set-up as follows: My NAD C542 CD player is connected to the Sherwood Newcastle R965 in my basement theater/rec room, powering the M80's there. The pre-outs on the R965 are then connected to the Rotel pre-amp located upstairs, powering the M60's there. I have the rear surround amps on the R965 set to power the room 2 function on the receiver, which then runs the Algonquins set up on the outdoor patio. One CD plays simultaneously on all three sets of speakers. (Room 2 can also operate independant of the main amps on the R965).

I love this set-up. Last night my wife and I were out on the patio listening to Sex Kittens in Hi-Fi, the Blondes, and other CD's from the "Music for a Bachelors Den series" (schwanky Vegas cocktail lounge music from the 50's, for lack of a better description).

The whole set-up, including the Algonquins, was awesome. I was not cranking the volume, but at the moderate then low volume levels, the Algonquins had great sound. The amount of base outside was particularly impressive, as was the entire overall soundstage. I can not really provide any technical review as that is beyond my expertise. All I can say is the speakers sound great to me, and I highly recommend them.

Very nice, Bob! Don't worry about all the technical mumbo jumbo--what's important is that you like your new speakers. I can just imagine how nice it must be to sit outside on a warm summer night sipping a drink and listening to some tunes. Enjoy!

what were your impressions of the size of them? I read somewhere in a thread that somebody's first impressions were that they were somewhat large.

How is the paint finish? I thought there were some concerns with earlier productions as well.

They have the same dimensions as Axiom's M3, which have a habit of being larger than expected when people first see them. Since good bass response is a matter of physics, consider their size an asset rather than a liability.

This website lists the dimensions and weight of the speakers, so no surprises there. In my opinion, they are not too large for the intended purpose. I still have not decided where I will mount them on a permanent basis, and am not convinced that I will even leave them outside for extended periods. I may opt for some type of quick connect mounting system and store them inside.

I did not observe any problems with the finish of the speakers. They looked good to me.

Thanks for the feedback. I'm thinking of next spring putting some speakers outside on our deck and mounting them up high on our bungalow.

Right now I'm thinking either the Polk Atrium 45's or Algonquins.