Edit: OOPS- I did test the Oberon, not the Opticon. I stand by my original comment- the Opticon for $500 is a solid good price. That said I would personally still find something with more bass extension even on a bookshelf speaker.
Original text:
(Yeah, I went back and checked and I actually demo'd the Oberon 1 in a 7-way test two years ago. At the time they were $600 a pair on ordinary Amazon, not even a sale. For some reason I thought I had demo'd the model below, but that was the Monitor Audio's, where I demo'd the Bronze's when I wished I had been able to demo the Silvers or Golds that I had heard briefly in London. So I've actually heard this speaker and at $600 decided against it. I must admit, then, that I don't think $500 is that killer of a bargain but it is a solid price. I would like to hear their towers from their more expensive series though, just not at US prices when I know they are significantly cheaper in Europe.)