Speaker Recommendation: 20K range

Chandybe the more you share about your preferences the more I think you should take a look at the Daedalus Apollo 11s. If looks matter and you like real wood sculpted and finished by the hands of a true artisan then these could be the ticket. Of course beauty is in the eye of the beholder but many of the speakers that have been recommended here are decidedly unattractive. For example, as much as I love the sound of the Harbeth M40s, they are always going to look like big boxes sitting on metal stands. Lou's speakers have the appearance of fine furniture--you will find yourself stroking the finish and admiring the joinery work. And he has such a wide range of renewable hardwoods and inlay patterns that yours will be one of a kind expressions of your own design aesthetic. All that said, the quest for speakers is such a personal one that if you are going to spend that kind of money you should really hear as many pairs as you are able, ideally with similar partnering equipment and listening environment. I wish you well as you sort through the options. Having done this myself a number of years ago, I would really encourage you to listen with your heart rather than your head. You will know the one when you hear it because the music will move you emotionally, not because what you are hearing is checking off a list of boxes that are in your head. Have fun!

As a suggestion, you may also want to consider some room acoustic treatment and see if that helps with some of your current issues. You seem to have a lot of reflective surfaces in your room particularly in areas where you need diffusion and/or absorption. As an experiment, cover some of those surfaces with thick blankets and see if that makes a difference. It would be a shame to make a such a large investment and only get an incremental improvement. 

Revel PerformaBe have the best waveguide by far, and will sound the largest in soundscape and lead in clarity in terms of vocals. I don’t find the bass or highs with it necessarily the most resolving, and part of the trade-off of that ultra-wide dispersion is the vocals will sound a tinge honky, but the F228Bes have the most vocal intelligibility of any speaker I’ve heard, in fact it blows away the Salon 2s in this aspect which sound much darker/narrower staging in comparison.

I would say if you would be willing to look at mail order brands, I think Salk Soundscape 8 or the Ascend Acoustics Sierra Diamond Tower (w/ Seas T29D001 tweeter) would beat any of the speakers on your list (and both can be had for under 10k), but if you are looking purely at retail brands, I believe the Revels will win purely on the strength of their vocal performance, what they do well they are unmatched at.

As a legacy dealer you can use the wavelet easily between the processor and main amp.

So yes the Aeris can do theater.

Dave and Troy
Audio Doctor NJ

So, does the Wavelet have home theater bypass?