drummerman said:
I like what I read about the 5's.
However, is it correct that they switch off after a period of non use and if the listener is using very low listening levels (as I do frequently) it still switches off?
Yes they do have an automatic power off function so that when there's no signal (or a very low signal) they go into a standby mode which only consumes about half a watt of power. The volume level at which this occurs at really is whisper quiet though and is bordering on the the quietest possible volume you could listen to music at in a silent room anyway. It's really not an issue for nomal hifi use.
The sensor is based on the peak volume levels in music so it could never ever happen with average or high dynamic range music. Heavily compressed music doesn't have any large peaks though so will need to be played a bit louder to keep the peaks them above the minimum volume level. That said I've never had a problem with mine after several hundered hours of use including plenty of low level listening with a wide range of music.
My only concern would be that they do need a fair bit of volume to 'wake' them up from the stand by mode which might be an issue if you want to use them for surround sound duties. If there are no surround effects for over 10 minutes the rears will go to sleep and then might not 'wake up' quickly enough when needed. On the HDD forum I know of at least on user who had this specific issue with theirs in a 5.1 setup. But there are other DM5 users there who have a 5.1 or 6.1 setup who have never had a problem.
drummerman said:
What is the sound signature Steve (sans sub)?
Nautral. Smooth. Detailed. Clear. Easy to listen to.
A similar overall sound signature to older AVI speakers generally. Just clearer and smoother. They're a lot more clear than the Neutrons, a bit more clear than the ADM9s but not at clear as the DM10s.
Being a compact speaker with a 5.25" mid/woofer the bass is never going to be able to flap your wobbly bits but as is the case with many other 5.25" speakers there's plenty of bass down to about 60 or 70Hz. They never feel lacking in either bass output or volume ability and have no problem filling a large room with sound. Before upgrading to the DM10s I used a pair of DM5s as my main hifi speakers for several months (both with and without a subwoofer) and would happily do so again.