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I just came across a new dealer here in Denver called Sj�fn HiFi, who had some interconnects I was interested in trying. When I first entered the building, I noticed an odd looking pair of monitor speakers set up directly against the front wall, with some very modest equipment, but didn't think too much of it, other than this guy doesn't know how to properly set up a pair speakers. After concluding the conversation about the interconnects I was interested in, Orion, the owner of the store asked if I'd like hear anything on his system, I replied yes, but was quite unprepared for what I was about to hear. The Guru speakers sounded much better than their small and odd appearance would've suggested, and the more I listened, the more impressed I became. In fact, when the listening session was over, I was completely blown away. Of all the shows I've been to, and of all the speakers I've listened to, there has not been a single one that has impressed me as much as these squatty looking boxes. In the past I've heard a few speakers that might do a few things better than my custom designed pair of line array speakers built by Selah Audio, but nothing that made me think that they had a chance of replacing them, until now. And this from a two way mini monitor that uses a single 4" midbass driver and a 1" dome tweeter. All I can say is, there must be some serious engineering behind these funning looking boxes. They had the coherency, tonality, and soundstaging of a pair of Quads that I heard at an over the top engineer's house, who had treated every square inch of his listening room, with varying sound treatments, and was using a Tact room correction preamp. But the Guru's played louder and with better dynamics and bass. If these speakers were selling for a gazillion dollars, then I'd say, well they should sound this good, but they weren't. I guess they used to sell for around $2,000 but with all the buzz around them and the weak dollar, they're now selling for $2,695. Besides sounding like a point source, and having one the most realistic sounding midranges I've ever heard, they had clean strong bass down to 30 hz. A large part of this is because they take advantage of the sound reinforcement brought about by being designed to be up against the front wall. A plus if space is at a premium in your home. Another quality of the Guru's that would make them a plus for a lot of people, is the fact that they are very forgiving of upstream equipment , and poor recordings, but they didn't seem to give anything up in terms of detail, transparency, and resolving power. These speakers got more things right than 95% of the speakers out there that I have heard, and for under $3,000. Color me impressed!
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Recovering Audiophile
Born again music lover.

http://www.sonicflare.com/archives/guru-qm10-speakers-review-by-robert-learner.php (Open in New Window)

Edits: 06/02/08 06/02/08 06/02/08 06/02/08

Speaker Asylum

First impresions of the Guru QM10 Speakers...Or how my hifi life just got turned upside down.

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