[launche]

Just thought I'd begin to post a little something regarding these two speakers as some might find it useful.  I have at this time both the NHT XD 2.1 system and the Emerald Physics CS2 system.  I don't really intended to give any formal review per se or do anything related to specs & measurements and such as that's not where my head is at and I am not qualified.  I do enjoy both speakers and while they have a similiar design concept they take different approaches and seem to tell a different sonic story to my ears.  So I'll just give my basic impressions.

First off, I decided upon these two designs because I no longer have a dedicated room ( I do have an office I do and could use but realized I don't/can't spend extended periods in that room).  I would be building a system in the family room with the intention of using minimal room treatments.  My previous room was treated with DIY bass traps and so on.  So I wanted a speaker that could work with the room and/or be an optimized design.  Both speakers work well in the room and even though I had a music room I still tried various speakers in this space just to see how they sounded and these are the best two speakers I've heard in my living room.

So, for started lets begin with looks.  Well, the XD's win this one hands done in my book, to my eyes they are sleek and sexy and the absolute benchmark for high WAF.  I like the look of the CS2's, they are also sleek (from the side  ) and modern looking in the right environment, my wife also doesn't mind the CS2's but much prefers the XD's for visual appeal and anyone who has come over has always comments on the XD's.

As you can see I can be a bit longwinded so I'll quit while I'm ahead and just add a bit here and there.

One goal was to try a put together a somewhat affordable and musical system I could listen to for hours. For this system I chose very familar and affordable associated gear that I knew had a nice smooth but respectable sound, but didn't want any tube amps for practical reasons.  The preamp and source are the Minimax units.  The XD's have their own class D amp, I am using a Parasound Halo A51 for the CS2.
...

[launche]

... As far as setup is concerned the XD's are easy to get up and running.  assembly takes 20 minutes or so and you have a few options to select on the DEQ unit for speaker positioning, a snap.  The XD speakers are easy to place and placing the sub on the same plane as the speakers or right beside one speaker yielded the best results for me.

The CS2's are also easy to assemble as you just have to attach the bases and spikes, connect the compression drivers and wire everything up.  Now it got tricky for me... I have both the DbX driverack unit and the Behringer unit.  Well I thought I wanted room correction but for me it was more trouble than I figured.  Probably total user error on my part but I was just never happy with the results.  First off, being the fiddler that I am, I managed to erase all of Claytons setting in the DBX unit right off the bat, don't ask me how .  Clayton was kind enough walk me back through setup of the Dbx unit though. 

A word on Clayton, he has been most helpful and has offered much assistance, is a pleasure to talk to and deal with and has presented himself in the class of the best vendors I've worked with.  I laugh to myself because I may be the reason he changed over the the preconfigured behringer unit (probably not but I wouldn't be suprised if it were so  )

The Behringer I had up and running in 5 minutes and I haven't messed up anything thus far.  It was a breeze really, although I would be interesting if Clayton would offer the room correction option for those so inclined.
...

[lonewolfny42]

I don't really intended to give any formal review per se or do anything related to specs & measurements and such as that's not where my head is at and I am not qualified.

Your doing just fine....thanks !!!

I grabbed you some photo's from the web...hope you don't mind...


NHT XD 2.1 



Emerald Physics CS2

[launche]

My basic impressions of the sound...  well the CS2's sound pretty balanced, bass reproduction is very good (I am a fan of boxless bass, of virtually any kind). The bass is articulate and with good weight.  You do get the feeling it goes deep and with good authority.  Not wall shakin' and neighbor 'waken bass, to my knowledge generall yOB bass doesn't do that unless you are moving some really serious amounts of air or are in a very small room.  But very articulate and musically credible bass response and It seems I am getting an almost absence of agitation of room modes that lead to the booming effect.  Just tuneful, clean and musical bass that is very much in step with rest of the musical message.

The blend between drivers seems to have been executed well.  the midrange is full and free of distractions.  The top end sounds extended and lively without being bright or fatigueing at normal listening levels.  It does sound a bit metallic to me but that may change and if not it is not a bother, par for the course.

To me the strengths of the CS2 are its clean and articulate bass reproduction, good imaging and dynamics. Those used to room rattling pressurizations might well be converted, or not.  The ultimate sense of weight (I mean really fine bass systems) is limited due probably to less room modes being excited but the bass is tuneful and plays louder gracefully, it's enough bass for my tastes for sure and of the good variety.

Another strength is they create a nice open and pretty well sized soundstage, where instruments have nice body and occupy a sensible position in space.  Although, I find the soundstage to appear more solid and immediate than vast.  The soundstage is nicely developed but I don't find myself chasing decays or listening to the recesses of the soundstage. I do realize the gear I'm using isn't the most resolving but that wasn't the design.  The CS2 image but I still hear them and they don't disappear in my setup they way the XD's do.

The XD's also play well in the room and probably would play better in most living spaces than a great number of larger and more famed speakers.  They are easy to place, easy to move and can be configured to sound good even with less then desirable conditions.  Where you have to bring the CS2 out into the room 4-5 ft to get things working well, the Xd's can sound good with far less stipulations.  Put them up against the wall, choose the given boundary compensation options and well they sound good, maybe not world class but good.  This is great for a shared living space where you may need to move the speaker close to the wall for normal living but they can still work there and be moved for your critical listening sessions.  I can not state how wonderful this flexible placement option is.

They can also be used for nearfield listening as well.  So you are talking about good listening from close to the from wall all the way to a nearfield position, just great.  These speakers image extremely well, In the near field for example, it's just wonderful, about as big a soundstage as is plausible.  Again, getting this is a normal room is fantastic.  The XD's give instruments space and stability, probably the best I've ever heard from a non treated or meticulously set up room.  When I paired the Xd's with a Benchmark DAC you get oodles of details and you just feel like nothings being lost (whether that's the case or not)  The soundstage is such that you can pick any instrument and follow it easily.  Definitely has a looking glass effect, you swear you hear details you never notice or hear them in a different way.  these speakers make you want to listen to your collection to discover new details.  Background information that I thought was buried deep in the mix suddenly came to the forefront.  An extremely addicting speaker for detail junkies.

The Xd's throw a massive soundstage and without extreme volume.  You are constantly amazed at the scope of the sound from these small speakers.  Up to the tweeters ratings, you can chase decays all night long, peer into the corners of the spaces and just indulge in all the nooks and crannies.  The XD system has only two flaws to my ears, ultimate dynamics and bass heft.  But that's par for the course given the size and driver compliment of the system.  Now add the second sub unit and we may be in a whole other arena. But talk about making the most of what you've got, and  they play great at low volume, you still get all the good stuff clear as a bell, just perfect for last night listening.  They seem pretty neutral to me and their tone seems spot on, not a colored affair.

The CS2' are priced right where I like, making them accessible and leaving room for good surrounding gear. They sound great for the money and very good period.  They play easy in the room and communicate in both a relaxed cool manner with the volume down or a lively, expressive lit up manner when juiced.
Fast, dynamic and agile for their size. A serious contender.

The XD's are maybe priced just out of everyday reach.  If they were near half the cost the'd be stone killers.  But even at the asking price, once you consider all the pluses, it's a very viable option especially if you need a real world, real room speaker that's more of a custom fit than cramming big bad towers in a room and battling physics.
...

[Russell Dawkins]

Thanks a lot for this ... Joey(?) .. lots of information there, and a welcome fresh angle.

[Tweaker]

Great review! I love your describing of  "chasing decays" and "peer into the corners of the spaces and just indulge in all the nook and crannies". That's wonderful imagery. Best speaker review I think I've ever read.

[MaxCast]

I don't really intended to give any formal review per se or do anything related to specs & measurements and such as that's not where my head is at and I am not qualified.

I think you did a wonderful job.  I enjoyed it so much I have to read it again.  I always thought those nht's were very cool.  Not sure on the cs2, yet.  Keep up the good work.

[TomS]

Great job giving us a realistic look at the CS2's compared to one of the most innovative designs out there.  Thanks!  Tom

[zybar]

Nicely done.

Many of the comments you made about the CS2's are what I heard at RMAF or are hearing now at my house.  Unfortunately, I have never had a chance ot hear the NHT XD's.     They have always intrigued me and fit into my mindset of using active speakers and/or speaker/room correction.

I do think that if you surround the CS2's with better gear, they will continue to get better.

How much toe-in are you using?

That can impact whether you get the speakers to really disappear or not.

Again, great write-up!! 

George

[TheChairGuy]

You wordsmith, launche - thanks for a very entertaining review 

Johnny Bagadoodies 

[launche]

Great review! I love your describing of  "chasing decays" and "peer into the corners of the spaces and just indulge in all the nook and crannies". That's wonderful imagery. Best speaker review I think I've ever read.

Thanks Tweaker,

Glad you enjoyed it, thought I was rambling but good to know I get some folks attention.

Yes, to me the differences in presentation seem evident right away.  Not saying with speaker in the last word in ound reproduction but as they say both punch above their price points.  I can see in many ways how the Xd's compare to the speaker costing multiples of its price. 

For what you are physically working with in the XD's you're getting alot of sound, relatively speaking.  This a small system in size, they make the CS2's look gigantic and imposing.  But the CS2's are not such to my eyes and are a nice speaker to integrate into a living space because they are shallow and monochromatic. One of my needs was for a speak I could easily move in and out of position and place up against the wall when not in use, both fit that need very well.  With the difference being I can play the XD's against the wall but not so with CS2's. 

[launche]

I don't really intended to give any formal review per se or do anything related to specs & measurements and such as that's not where my head is at and I am not qualified.

I think you did a wonderful job.  I enjoyed it so much I have to read it again.  I always thought those nht's were very cool.  Not sure on the cs2, yet.  Keep up the good work.

Thanks, Maxcast

The Xd's are cool to me, both in implementation and looks.  Again many without dedicated music spaces struggle to meet the WAF, they go along with in that cause.  I think getting a speaker that s optimized goes a long way as well especially when you can't do alot with the room. And unless you are in a large room or nned full scale orchestra reproduction in yuor space the Xd's are strong recommendations.  Again, they aren't going to be a warm or much forgiving speaker in many respects, they will serve it up almost as it (within their limitations) but they are not crude or harsh sounding. Recording will sound different, you will notice the difference in recording quality. The top end is pretty revealing but almost absent of negative artifacts...no sizzle and excessive splish splash (for better or worse)  The energy coming off the top end is deceptive, with the dipersion pattern and flattish freq. response its revealing but not hyped.  One interesting thing is and it's a good thing and that's that the XD's have the basics covered and it seems that to begin to dissect the speaker  for flaws one have to reach for some of the very best executed designs to point out short coming (and that's a good thing.)  One's preference will be for what one likes to hear from their system more than what the XD's don't do.  Like all good system I've heard, they make you boil it down to your own personal taste in sound but you know the sound it good, same thing goes for the CS2's.  Again everyone has their tastes and most here are probably look for some particular as opoosed to someone the sound good in a universal sense.  But make no mistake the CS2's are pretty good speakers to my ears and the "particular" is the only decision one would have to make in determing if they ultimately work for them or not.

[launche]

Nicely done.

Many of the comments you made about the CS2's are what I heard at RMAF or are hearing now at my house.  Unfortunately, I have never had a chance ot hear the NHT XD's.     They have always intrigued me and fit into my mindset of using active speakers and/or speaker/room correction.

I do think that if you surround the CS2's with better gear, they will continue to get better.

How much toe-in are you using?

That can impact whether you get the speakers to really disappear or not.

Again, great write-up!! 

George

Thanks George,

My friend has Vandy 5's and they are some of they best speakers I've heard.

Well from what I gather from what you owned I would say you've more or less heard the XD's in one form or another.  if you generally take the sound quality you got from a Tact corrected room and take the better part of what you've heard from the best 2 way monitors, I'd say you can infer as to what the Xd's deliver more or less.  Kind of a weird way to say it but just my thought.  I also would suspect that given your systems and rooms, you might feel the need for the 2 sub XD system.  I think anyone who loves big speakers with big drivers or expects a "very" full bass presentation would find the one sub XD system a little lite footed, I am tempted to try a second unit myself just to see.  My room is of good size at 19x26x8, in a smaller room one sub might well be more than enough.  But, what suprised me was the quality of the bass, this is not a typical sub plodding along adding weight.  The bass texture is wonderful and you can hear and feel textural changes and nuances that well may be smeared or not detected in some other big box big driver bass systems. There's some actual notes and texture in those bass barrages with the XD's.

I find similar results with the CS2's, with open baffle bass, forget most colorations and you can hear and feel the bass more clearly and have a sense of less distraction from room effects.  That to me is a worth while trade off to sheer pressurizing of the room and needing to feel ultimate mass.  Again the bass doesn't lag behind the rest of the spectrum.  Both the XD and CS2 are wonderful at this.

I have the CS2's tweeter pointed right at my head using both the 4-7 and 5-8 distance options.

I would agree that with better associated gear they would sound even better, I've had better but have settled back to something affordable and comfortable to own.  And one great appeal about the CS2's is that they can sound good without needing the very best around them.  Again my approach here was a sensible systen in many respects. Now I can borrow a flagship Audio Research Preamp and Wadia or Esoteric sources from friends to test things but it wouldn't be good for my wallet to do so, nor do I think it would add the sound per dollar value for my needs.  Like the 6 moons fellow, I'm on a realizations tour right now. As with any good component, it can always get better so add the CS2's to the list of speakers that can play well with gear of different classes.

I don't know that the CS2's can dissappear like the XD's, they are very much designed to do that well. They are gone from the sound reproduction process, they get far out of the way.  When I listen in a nearfield position it's just uncanny (within reason) literally like pulling a chair up to a pair of sliding glass doors and looking out into the back yard.  From a musical standpoint, things are a bit lite bass wise as you have the system well out into the room, so more meat is missing from the bone but you can focus in and see how much is there to discover from the stripped down skeleton, see what makes up the whole better and explore the construction.  Like those shows that show you technology where you can see inside and object but still see each layer up to the core.  Now maybe the 2nd XDW bass module would add the needed mass in this type of configuration to give more density to all that is illuminated. But to see it in the context of any prized minimonitor or 2 way one can not be disappointed.  it is only when you say this is great and can I have this too, that you want for the ultimate experience and want it to do what the biggest baddest air movers do.

The CS2's thus far just don't give me that see thru impression or at least don't spotlight that effect.  I'm not going to say what a design can't do.  It presents a cohensive, solid, deep and broad experience that affects my brain in a manner as to just enjoy what's there because it's compelling enough.  You don't think about your skeleton until you have reason to do so.  The CS2's ackowledge the full body of the music and while you know or perceive more to be there, one may feel no need to dissect things out of sheer curiosity only to find that what was there is what I suspected but I didn't need to got through all the trouble and make such a mess to find out.

I do have a caveat to mention later though...

Looking forward to your impressions with the fine gear you have as well George as you can take the CS2's to yet another level or taste in presentation.

Alright let me go put the Christmas tree up now.

BTW, if anyone wants to share their technical opinions on these designs (positive or negative) feel free.

[zybar]

I have the CS2's tweeter pointed right at my head usin both the 4-7 and 5-8 distance options.

I would agree that with better associated gear they would sound even better, I've had better but have settle back to something affordable and comfortable to own.  And one great appeal about the CS2's is that they can sound good without needing the very best around them.  Again my approach here was a sensible systen in many respects. Now I can borrow a flagship Audio Research Preamp and a Wadia or Esoteric sources from friends to test things but it wouldn't be good for my wallet to do so, nor to I think it would add the sound per dollar value for my needs.  Like the 6 moons fellow, I'm on a realizations tour right now. As with any good component, it can always get better so add the CS2's to the list of speakers that can play well with gear of different classes.

I don't know that the CS2's can dissappear like the XD's, they are very much disigned to do that well. They are gone from the sound reproduction process, they get far out of the way.  When I listen in a nearfield position it's just uncanny (within reason) literally like pulling a chair up to a pair of sliding glass doors and looking out into the back yard.  From a musical standpoint, things are a bit lite bass wise as you have the system well out into the room, so more meat is missing from the bone but you can focus in and see you how much is their to discover from the stripped down skeleton, see what makes up the whole better and explore the construction.  Like those shows that show you technology wheree you can see inside and object but still see each layer up unto the core.  Now maybe the 2nd XDW bass module would add the needed mass in this type of configuration to give more density to all that is illuminated. But to see it in the vein of any prized minimonitor or 2 way one can not be disapointed.  it is only when you say this is great and can I have this too,that you want for the ultimate experience and want it to d what the biggest baddest air movers do.

The CS2's thus far just don't give me that see thru impression or at don't spotlight that effect.  I'm not going to say what a design can't do.  It presents a cohensive, solid and deep and broad experience that affects my brain in a manner as to just enjoy what's there because it's compelling enough.  You don't think about you skeleton until you have reason to do so.  The CS2's ackowledge the full body of the music and while you know or perceive more to be there, one may feel no need to dissect things out of sheer curiosity only to find that what was there is what I suspected but I didn't need to got through all the trouble and make such a mess to find out.

I do have a caveat to mention later though...

Looking forward to your impressions with the fine gear you have as well George as you can take the CS2's to yet another level or taste in presentation.

Alright let me go put the Christmas tree up now.

BTW, if anyone wants to share their technical opinions on these designs (positive or negative) feel free.

Another great post!

One thing you might want to try is to have the speakers criss cross a few feet in front of you instead of aiming at you.

Enjoy putting up the tree.

George

[jackman]

Launche,
Very nice work!  I have really enjoyed reading your impressions of both speakers.  The NHT's have always intrigued me and your reaction seems to be in line with most people who have heard the system.  Hopefully I will have a chance to hear these in person one of these days.  Anyway, thanks for opinions.

Jack

[launche]

Launche,
Very nice work!  I have really enjoyed reading your impressions of both speakers.  The NHT's have always intrigued me and your reaction seems to be in line with most people who have heard the system.  Hopefully I will have a chance to hear these in person one of these days.  Anyway, thanks for opinions.

Jack

Thanks Jackman,

The XD's are surely worth a listen. I was aware of the speakers before but didn't really give them serious thought, maybe due to the price and viewing them in the traditional sat/sub light and feeling I could get more for the money.  But obviously one pays a bit more for the R&D behind the project etc...  But taking into account you get an amp mated for the speakers and speakers cables, the price begins to make sense in the context of someone paying 2-3k for speakers, 1-2k for amplifications and a few hundred for speaker cables and you hope the amp and speakers work well together.  With the XD system the speakers, amps and cables were already designed to mate well together, so the work and frustration is eliminated.

Looking at it this way the purchase can make alot of sense.  And as I mentioned before if found at near half the retail price it really is a stone killer option provided you like what the system has to offer, which is alot IMO.  They are upper class and nuetral sounding, handsome looking,provide flexible setup and will likely play better than most speakers in a common room.  Honestly that's offering alot and I always wondered why they weren't more popular (maybe they are more than I know) and more talked about amongst consumers.  The first things that come to my are are that us men just want big speakers with big bass potential and that us men don't want so much of the work done for us.  We want to figure it out and discover the combination.  But then again we complain about how frustrating this process is.  I honestly don't know why there aren't more complete system solutions out there but one should be able to buy a complete or partial XYZ system with the majority of components already designed for synergy either within the same brand or with a partnering brand.  I see companies pairing up at these audio shows but they don't take the time (in most cases to my knowledge) to say this works well let's design or piece somethings together that play in tune (and doesn't cost six figures)
I mean you have companies with product lines that can make turn key systems i.e. Audio Note, Rega etc... but they don't market that approach heavily enough IMO.

Audio Note has this approach to some degree but I'm not sure how expensive the systems are and honestly I feel it should be featured more in their marketing unless the leave that up to the dealers but then again I think that's still missing the boat.  But also shame on us end users for not seeking out and/or demanding such products.  I have always said, audio is a crazy game, forget about high fidelity, that's another animal in itself.  I mean even when you go to buy a suit in many places the jacket matches the pants right (because we "know" we have to wear then "together" in most instances.  The sales person will give you the option of several shirt and tie combinations that work with that suit and even socks, shoes and cufflinks etc... if desired.  You can get all this common sense service when you go buy a $200 suit but not when you make a $2K, 5K, 10K, 40K+ audio purchase, alot of people are seriously missing the boat here.  And we ask why more people aren't into hi-fi or serious audio reproduction at home, O.K. right.  People are too busy and have too many other interests or time consuming endeavors to sweat this stuff like an hardcore enthusiast does.  I should be able to tell any person who wants to put together a quality audio system, go here..., and they should be able to walk away and be ready to rock n' roll in reasonable time without spending a boatload or weeks and months diving through tons of threads on obscure forums to come up with something nice, and even then they'll probably end up unsatified.
What we need is a Super Wal-mart of audio (for better or worse) or least a Men's Warehouse of audio (goggle that unfamiliar and imagine that business model in audio)

[TheChairGuy]

What we need is a Super Wal-mart of audio (for better or worse) or least a Men's Warehouse of audio (goggle that unfamiliar and imagine that business model in audio)

I think Tweeter was trying to be the Super Walmart (or Bed, Bath and Beyond or Gap, etc.) of the audio and video world and spectacularly failed with a Chapter 11 Bankruptcy re-organization a few months ago 

Good Guys, here on the West Coast tried that, too (no computers or appliances) and failed with 71 stores in late-2003.....who sold out to COMPUSA before facing bankruptcy themselves.

I think the margins in consumer electronics (routinely below 30%, and most often closer to 20%) overall will not allow for a super store concept retailer solely dealing in audio and video, unfortunately.

Great posts, launche! - thanks, John

[launche]

Another significant point(s) I wanted to make from my experience is to further expand upon the room interaction with the two speakers.  Again, nothing technical here you can research about the designs for that, but here are just some impressions.  The way these designs present the music and interact with the room deserve more than a cursory mention.  It should be a major influence in the decision to consider either of these speakers.

Both the XD and the CS2 present a coherent and focused to very focused soundstage with stable images.  Both have different design elements to help minimize the effects of the room on their sound reproduction and they both do so with good to very good effect.  Since the room is a big part of the equation and some argue the biggest part, these speakers "play nice" with the room.  They are the both the easiest speakers I have setup and acheive good results with the least effort when following manufactuer recommendations.  There's very little once setup that jumps out as screams problem or draws you attention as a must fix issue.  Whatever tweaking I conducted was strictly a matter of squeezing out that last drops of performance gains but not to acquire good sound, that was had very quickly.

Of note is the high freq. performance, both present things like cymbals very well, sound is not placed about the room or scattered within the soundstage but apart of a very localizable image with little smearing or shift (within reason)  The bass freq. are also coherent and it's easy to follow a bass line and not feel much loss of notes from the transitions through the scale a s far as intelligibility being lost as notes interact with room.  Something wonderful that open baffle bass fans are aware of is that because their in minimal bass loading and build up in the room the system sounds cleaner and easier on the ears.  this also applies to the high freq. because the energy is more controlled and directed and not splattered about in the room.  The CS2's OB bass deserves special mention here because you cna play the system at loud levels, get up and walk about the room and notice very little stored bass energy.  Wow, that's fantastic and to me should be a significant consideration for many people.  Here's why is a real world example:  The system is playing loud, bass is pumping nicely and I can go to another room and not feel or hear the resonant effects of the bass at no where near the likes typical box bass would produce.  I can go upstairs to my bedroom and where you would normally hear the bass build up in the wall cavities and such and it's evident that someone is blasting a stereo downstairs.  With the CS2's that damn near null and void (pun intended)  my wife has no idea that I am cranking the system at the levels I am hearing in the listening position or in the room.  Those with these domestics concerns this is absolutely priceless in my estimation.  I mean the mid and high freq. energy is still transmitted, but even that seems to a lesser degree than I was expecting, but you'll be amazed how less loud things sound when the bass in under control.  Serious brownie points to OB bass here.  The XD bass module has a  similair with is opposing woofers but doesn't achieve the trick quite as well as the CS2's do.

If you don't have a dedicate room where you can do room treatments at will, these are two excellent and I do mean excellent speaker offerings in that regard.  If you don't have a space that is isolated and you must be conscious of other family members, again two excellent offerings. Both speakers play well at low volumes with the XD's doing a very good job at this.  One doesn't feel they need to blast system to hear details with the XD's.  Volume increases seem to merely enlarge what's already there (as it should be IMO.)  I was suprised at just how softly I ws listening to music with the XD's, perfect to late night listening. 

With the XD's distortions seem to be kept to a minimum, instruments seem cleaner and passage that strained some speakers were reproduced more clearly with the XD's. What I thought was grunge turned into discernable notes.  I found myself many o' times saying "I never heard that before or I never heard it that way before" with the XD's.  For some who like a more colored sound the XD's may come off as a bit too fit, trim and proper.  There isn't likely going to be a smokey midrange S.E.T. bloom, likely not any cyborg monster intestinial displacing bass. No creamy highs with sugar plum fairies dancing around fluffy airy laced shimmers that extend to the heavens.  If the romance, clear blue skies or sensuality isn't in the music the XD's aren't going to take liberties to appease you.  But as I did you can add some tubes to your source and/or preamp if you want a little flair to go along with a nice dose of nuetrality in your speakers.
They fall in the categories of a revealing speaker to my ears, every CD, Record or WAV is not all going to sound the same (for better or worse.)

Again, I can't stress enough how well both of these speakers play in an average untreated living space.  There are many o' listener who has not or can not explore room treatments and may have difficult rooms, if within your budget you owe it to yourself to get something along the lines of these two speakers in your room, I suspect you'll be very pleased with what you hear and may feel you can surely live without treating the room.  not that it wouldn't sound even better but you may not or don't need to do so. Alwith regard to SC2's they may likely benefit more from diffusion rather than absorption but that open to debate and hopefully Zybar could help explore this further since he has a well treated room.  I would be interested to know what the CS2's sound like with and without treatments.
I bought in my 2 of my DIY 7ft bass traps and placed them in each front corner and can't be exact about what improvement I heard.

The sound I'm hearing approaches, equals or surpassing what I heard in my treated rooms in many ways.
Now don't get me wrong, I am a proponet of room treatments and I say treat that room in general, but if you can't or wish not to then here you have two wonderful options. I can easily imagin someone resonably treating the hell of out of a room for a given set of speakers and not achieve the levels of bass performance of the CS2's. Again, not that they are the end all and be all of bass performance but they are very good to my ears.  with a nice mid-bass fullness that is easy to settle in to.  The Xd's mid bass by comparision is not as full and cozy but is more resolved with an added level of inner detail and nuance.
From about 150hz on up, the Xd's approach excellence for anything I care to spend my money on.

[brj]

Lauche, truly excellent reviews - thank you!

Have you considered putting the DEQ/X that came with the XD system on the CS2s?  I think the DEQ/X can hold multiple sets of correction curves, and I'm guessing that Clayton could provide the crossover curves to lie under the room correction curves.  I suspect that this would be very interesting to a lot of people - I don't think anyone has had a chance to directly compare the 2496 to the DEQ/X.

Thanks!

[Russell Dawkins]

The system is playing loud, bass is pumping nicely and I can go to another room and not feel or hear the resonant effects of the bass at no where near the likes typical box bass would produce.  I can go upstairs to my bedroom and where you would normally hear the bass build up in the wall cavities and such and it's evident that someone is blasting a stereo downstairs.  With the CS2's that damn near null and void (pun intended)  my wife has no idea that I am cranking the system at the levels I am hearing in the listening position or in the room.  Those with these domestics concerns this is absolutely priceless in my estimation.

This is perfectly in line with theory - dipolar bass cancels in the big picture. The net bass energy into the room should be around zero and it sounds like it is, which is why you hear so little of it in other rooms. Nice to hear that it works in practice.