hi bruin
no i didn't demo. because i live in canada, i researched a short list and the classic 3's won out. i know it's not ideal BUT the shipping, duty, taxes, exchange all combined were going to kill me. my budget was about $750-$800 which was a bit of a challenge. my short list, so you know, were orb's but i needed a sub and outlaws but i needed a sub. they took me over my budget and with the oppo in my near future i really tried to stay within budget. the nht's have arrived, have been set up and i'm VERY pleased with the sound. i play a LOT of jazz and i must say that i'm hearing things in the recordings that i haven't heard before. the bass is amazing. it doesn't dominate but rather is flat with the mid and tweet. i must say, though, that it does sound a bit tight. like opening a nice bottle of wine before it has time to breathe. i don't know if that makes any sense but i'm hoping that it softens up a bit over time.