They're not really that big. They contain 4 x 8" cts speakers rated at 10-15 watts a piece, so 40 watts a column, 16 ohms. Having them on stands gets the top speaker at about ear level when sitting down. Plus it adds to a rakish sort of appearance.
They sound pretty good at reasonable volumes. I don't usually listen with things too loud anyway. They definitely sound better on some music than others. Blue Note type jazz stuff sounds great! String bass nice and solid, good tone. Rock and Roll is fine. I was totally enjoying some Shadows this morning. It's when you're listening to complex high end detail that you realize that these are not audiophile speakers. But I don't care! I've got a nice stereo upstairs.
CTS makes a piezo driver that would work on an 8" Dayton conical waveguide. Replacing the top speaker with that would greatly extend the upper frequency response. The only drawback to that is the remaining speakers would have to be wired in a way that would result in a lower impedance, drawing more power from the mixer/amp, with the added risk of blowing the speakers. Not a problem when using it as a stereo, but might be when using it as a pa. Combined with the Yorkville powered mixer it makes a damn nice pa for jamming, which is what it is all about.