Not lowly at all. A local buddy has them and they sound excellent! (but IMO, require a sub.....as do my Super 7s.....but that's just me coming from a long history of big floorstanders. YMMV)
Aside from a little self-deprecation, I said that because I want people to actually buy these sweet looking new RS8-based speakers. I don't want to see a nice guy like Louis go out of business because he's only selling to cheapos like me. More than $1095 (which is what my 3XRS cost) is already a tough sell to some people, even if we here know it's a huge bargain.
My friends are mostly normal people (well, at least when it comes to their audio preferences) and not one of them has been able to say my little speakers weren't the best they've ever heard--in every area except bass weight and slam. One day I'd like to try a sub, preferably when my floor isn't also someone else's ceiling.
That's why, having never heard one, I believe the RS8 does have a little more to offer than the RS5 in the form of more mid-bass. I'd like to hear from somebody who knows more about speaker driver design than I do (it wouldn't take much) to tell us how an eight-incher like the RS8 can compare to the RS5 in the "electrostatic speed" aspect--magnet power vs. cone weight and all that.
They are setup now, taylor swift sounds amazing!
I am running them by Nuprime IDA-8 for now.
gonna get a tube integrated soon
I'm using a little gainclone-clone integrated that came from China. It impresses me every day what Omegas can do with so little, whether I'm watching TV or really sitting down in front of them and listening to some good music.
Rock on, everyone.