A short update:
Boy, am I glad that I kept these things. The wife is still questioning their presence in the living room. But hey, these are a small footprint floorstander. She's comparing them to the diminutive Totem Arros we had for about a decade.
I've gotten just shy of a month's use on them. I try to get in 2-4 hours of listening per day, and I've run them at lower volumes (with a bump up in tone controls) for 8 hours at night. There has been an audible difference in break in. The treble sounds about the same but seems to project higher off the floor than before. The midrange has gone from too laid back and disguised or veiled to present. The bass has gone from uncomfortably restrained to open and taught.
Last night's listening session pleased me much. I was absolutely engaged and smiling over how the speakers (and system) presented these tracks, which I had used during previous sessions. Before I was left thinking the speakers were good, then getting a bit better but still missing much about my Totem Arros.
My Foolish Heart, Bill Evans
Take the A Train, Ray Brown
Various, Muddy Waters Folksinger
Joe Slam and The Spaceship, Harry Connick
Ballad of Sir Frankie Crisp, George Harrison
Fast Car, Tracy Chapman
Lovely Day, Lee Rittenour
Silver Lining, Rilo Kiley
Dark Black, Kristina Train
The resolution, grip, soundstage, imaging, and bass was fantastic. My feelings and thoughts about these loudspeakers is so different now compared to when I first set them up. I wanted to make a move that would put me to a significant upgrade over the Totem Arros. Now, with my new Creek Evolution 100A (and Ruby DAC) plus the PSB Imagine T2s, I'm feeling like I moved into a place that I would have only dreamed about a decade ago.
It stinks in life when you buy toys and they don't make you any happier. It rocks when they do!
If you're auditioning floorstanders in the $2-4k range, you should give these a listen.
Anyone think I'm crazy to be a religious believer in speaker break in, burn in, run in?