Marten Duke. I have forgotten about these. Have received several recommendations on these and they seem to be pretty well built.
Extravaganza, I think the OP is looking for more resolution and detail. In this aspect, I suppose the SHL5 can be bettered. Although initial impressions are positive, perception can change through time when one has lived with the speaker for a considerable period.
Nevertheless, I do agree with your thoughts on small bookshelves with small drivers. Some of these monitors do make the bass sound larger than intended, ie. false blown up bass, and the result can at times be undesirable. Having said that, larger bookshelves with drivers bigger than 6.5" will (generally) ameliorate the false impression of bass as these speakers usually go down to 40-45Hz which is quite adequate for a balanced sound delivery. Loudspeaker designers will usually bump up the bass on monitors with drivers smaller than 5.5" to make it sound fuller at the bottom end for a more balanced presentation, though most of these smaller bookshelves usually roll off the bass at around 55-60Hz. Too much low frequency lift and the speaker will sound unbalanced. One typical example is the PMC LB1 Signature. The bass on this speaker seems to sound forced as if it was pumped out from the box in uneven chunks IMO. Perhaps a trait of transmission line designs.
