“The AP4s reminded me of a line from an old 7 Up commercial, “Crisp and clean, with no caffeine.” Bright highs and uncluttered midrange are two of the speaker’s greatest strengths. They have a gracious soundstage belying their tiny size, and voices are well presented, too. Where the AP4s shine brightest is on vocal and instrumental music that isn’t over driven by amplifiers – think very loud rock, metal and beyond. Feed the AP4s anything else and they’ll reveal more than such a diminutive speaker has a right to. What can you expect on the low end from a 4-inch woofer? More than you’d think. One track I’ve been using lately to judge bass response and delivery is Bruce Cockburn’s instrumental “Rise And Fall.” It’s a mesmerizing piece of slow acoustic jazz that showcases the Canadian’s dazzling guitar playing and some Jaco Pastorious-like bass from George Koller. The recording is intimate, and it feels like you’re in the room as Cockburn’s fingers slide across the strings and Koller glides across the bass. My biggest “Wow” moment came on an early Saturday morning. I was puttering about in the kitchen, when my wife decided to play Robert Plant and Alison Krauss’ Raising Sand album. As I walked into the living room, where the AP4s were setup, the disc began and as the opening percussion of “Rich Woman” began I thought I was hearing some strange power surge, but it was the cymbals coming through the speakers with startling clarity and snap.” —— avrev.com