Ok right now I have an Alpha B1 on my desk blasting Sinead O'Connor courtesy Flash
So now I can comment better.
this speaker is not the higher end for sure and hence cant be compared with such.
Also true, does not use the best of components, and body is combination of plastic & MDF.
Yes the front grille is metal, back is very solid plastic. Since these are not mine, I ain't opening them. To me the built seems solid, innards might be a different ball game.
But, this is a good speaker for the budget minded.
Stereophile does not recommend a speaker unless there is something in it.
After listening to plenty of Wharfedales and Polks I've started keeping my salt shaker handy, just in case. But I am liking what I am hearing through these.
the major flaw in this speaker is that it distorts at high volumes, which is not really a problem for surrounds
I don't hear any distortion with the NAD C356 at 9:30 position which is waaay to high IMO. And Sinead with the high pitched Mandinka should have distorted by now. So I can safely say this is not a problem at least with this pair I am listening to.
what i am looking for is if a better speaker is available at this price
Yes there are a few options at around this price point. I'd state my favorites, I am sure other FMs would have their sub 20k favorites as well. In fact there's a dedicated thread for these.
1. You get the fiercely competitive
Paradigm Atom Monitors (Please search for any leftover v.6) at 17k.
2. The lovely
MS Aviano 2 are some of the best 20K speakers available here.