Anyone have any input on JM Lab Cobalt 816S

I now own Electra 926 and agree that it is much more musical, engaging and also transparent speaker than Cobalt 816S. The Electra 926 gives you the full range with deep, fast and utterly clear low end. Be aware that you don`t get much bass from the 816S. Despite of some brightness the 816S imaging and detail is pretty good for its prize.
If you can stretch your budget the Electra 926 is in a whole new universe. The Electra line is almost Utopia it uses many of the same parts and technologies including drivers.

I just bought Cobalt 806S speaker a few months ago. I think they are a step up from previous Chorus speakers but a newer version of the Chorus is out and looks really good. I wish I had bought the 816S as they handle more power but I am very happy with the 806S. Audio Advisor has a great deal on the 806S,816S and 826S as the Cobalt line is being discontinued. Stereophile has rated both the 806S and 816S in "B" category. I agree that they are great speakers but I am using two subooders with my speakers. At a little higher price than the JM Labs Cobalt line I would recommend Paradigm Reference Studio Line. They are great for the price and highly rated.

I bought a 5 channel Focal surround system with the 816s in the front left and right main speaker positions. Using the Marantz SR-EX14 surround reciever (which many credit with sounding phenominal in 2-channel stereo mode) I also found the 816s to be bright. I then added a McIntosh SL1 12" subwoofer to the mix which balanced the 816s highs and now it sounds crisp, detailed and has the bass impact that should have come with the 816 to begin with (maybe the 826 has the extra midbass for this reason). Nonetheless, by adding a subwoofer the 816s become bargains. If you want to warm things up from there you could always integrate a Conrad Johnson tube preamp or a maybe even a used tube stage buffer like the Z-Man or Musical Fidelity X10v3 tube buffer.