These little speakers will sound fine in a smaller environment like an apartment living room or bedroom and you don't try to drive them to "party" levels. They don't go very deep into the bass as you'd expect with such a small woofer so you might think about using a small subwoofer along with them. I purchased the CSW Powered Subwoofer 3 at the same time to fill in what the 17's lacked. Still, it's a very compact setup with some pretty good sound. Judging sound quality is a subjective matter but the mid range and treble sounded very reasonable to me and I'd probably still be using them if I didn't have my JBLs.

Update notes: As you can see, other people like them too. They don't seem to be making these anymore so they're not as plentiful as they were when I bought them. I did just what another reviewer did and had them hooked up to a NAD L-40 CD receiver. Really makes for a nice secondary system. Well, nowdays I have the L-40 driving a pair of JBL S-38s so I don't use the 17s anymore. Still, if you come across a pair of 17s for cheap, they're worth it.

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 30 ea.