Just got mine today. They went on just fine. it took about 45 minutes, I used a manual screwdriver for safety. Watch the video first, follow Lou and it is pretty simple.
They look great- neatly finished.
Here's a before and after of one. Lou provides new anodized countersunk screws that are a nice touch.
As to the sound- yes, indeed, the bass through the lower mid range, which already was the best of any speaker I've owned, is quite noticeably tighter and better focused, with improved dynamic speed. I had been thinking my system was still a bit woolly in that difficult room dependent range, but the rings improved it to a welcome degree.
This does shift the tonality - just a bit less warmth, and the top end seems slightly more forward in the mix. After listening a couple more days, I consider it a very worthwhile improvement. I'm very pleased.
I can speculate this may be because of stiffening the structure in the area of the woofer mounting, or providing a harder, smoother surface for the wave launch, or both, but it seems to work.
Kudos to Lou for continuing to improve his existing models.
I've been playing around a lot with cables the last few months to fine tune the sound and am very gratified that the sound of this system just keeps getting better. Just when I think I've gotten the full measure of these speakers I find there is more that I uncover.
These V2 speakers are a joy in every way. They make listening to music a rich, delicious experience, without distractions, and take me out of audiophile mode and deeply into the pure music at every turn. Even having heard my share of speakers many times the price of these, none get me closer to the musical heart. The heirloom cabinets complete the circle.
As Lou keeps racking up "best sound" kudos, I'm very glad I ran across his work a few years ago. It is likely that after 46 years in the hobby these are the final speakers for my big system, based on their moderate size, amazing workmanship and the level of sheer pleasure that listening to music through them offers.
