The criticisms here are fair: Monitor Audio should do better and strive for an objectively good sound, as KEF does, rather than an exciting/colored one. However, the speakers are still 100% better than others that simply would not fit onto one's desk. I'll be using them in the near field, elevated behind my PC displays, and addressing their deficiencies with a minidsp flex and KEF KC62 subwoofer. Almost all other traditional designs either do not fit or extend too much beyond my displays. Other viable options (i.e. below 20cm in depth) are Genelecs, KEF LSX II - both of these involve active speakers with their own deficiencies - or Radius 90 3G from the same company, which at the moment I have no idea if it's any better than the Apex A10. Regardless, I think the speaker is a GEM, and it should be marketed as a PC/desktop speaker/small stereo to match with the amp/DSP of one's choice - not just for home theater. The fact that it's form factor is so unusual and unique shows how much complacency there is in the speaker industry. It's unfortunate, but the truth is most people don't have much space to dedicate to speakers, as evidenced by the popularity of small bluetooth speakers. I would also go so far as to say that many people who want to do better end up using oversize speakers for their rooms that are bound to interact badly with their space, partly because of the lack of options and the false belief that bigger is always better. Placement is critical, and these speakers' diminutive size allows for that. I hope Monitor Audio comes up with a second version that addresses the current flaws while keeping the same size.
As I noted earlier, it does have good power handling for this class of speaker and some EQ does it good.
