Your impressions reminded me of the review done by ssabripo back in late April/early May. I think it's pretty impressive for the Swans that they're in the ballpark with Dynaudio much less holding their own so well. I've been curious about Swans ever since I saw their ads on Audiogon. They do have a bookshelf (2.1) which should do pretty well as a surround. Thanks for an informative and well written review.

I am in agreement with you about the state of the industry too. Something I've noticed in my local market (Detroit area) is that very few dealers are able to afford to carry much of an inventory. As a consequence, even though you're at a store you often have to order what you want and wait 1-3 weeks to get it. I think this helps the internet vendor since the store loses the advantage of an immediate sale. I am not saying this to criticize dealers either. It's an incredibly tough industry to succeed in. It just gives the internet guys another little edge.

Last I would love to see the audition system you suggest become widespread! It would be great to have one place where you could see, hear and compare different brands. Especially nowadays when you have such a bewildering array of good choices for every component. Well done and thanks much.

Gary