Being stuck in the middle of the woods where sunshine is piped in, I had to order my speakers. No, I've never heard them, but hey, sometimes you gotta take a chance and I did take a chance. When I put my long-term plans together for a tube based system, I decided on the Jolida 202a and a pair of Soliloquy 5.0 speakers. I went with the tube amp first because I liked my speakers with the right source material. Then, the 5.0 was replaced by the 5.0i which seemed to be designed with hometheater in mind. It wouldn't do, so I contacted the company about getting the older model 5.0s. There were some available but I couldn't pull the trigger (because I'm a cheap bastard). By the time I got ready, Soliloquy had gone out of business. (Anyone hear me shakin' the dice yet?) Well, I spotted a couple pairs of 5.0s here and there, but it seemed too risky. I decided to start over and come up with another speaker. The only speaker that I felt confident about was the Von Schweikert VR-1.

Then, a well-respected (at least on audiogon) dealer in GA advertised that he had bought out Soliloquy's stock and had one pair of new rosewood 5.0s for sale. I thought about it for 12 days (yes, I counted) and finally called today. He still had them when I called, but he doesn't have'em now. They're on their way to me! It just so happens that my current speakers - Acoustic Energy Aegis Ones - were designed by the same guy that designed the 5.0s - Phil Jones. I'm hoping to hear some similarities because I like my speakers. I know the high frequencies could be smoother and the bass a little tighter, but they're $300 speakers. I'll be happy if the Soliloquys provide these improvements and add a little more depth to the soundstage. They were highly competitive in the $1000 range when new.