Looking for All-a-round speaker $3k range

I was thinking about the title "All around" not the specifics of the post. I agree that if you want a pop/rock sound there may be other choices. Vandy 3Asigs with a lot of current are a good "all-around" suggestion, but again, not really a pop/rock speaker. Von Schweikert 4jrs might be a good choice. Used would come in right under that #.

The Revel F30 speaker is an excellent choice.
There are a couple of pairs of these used here on Audiogon.
(Two different finishes to choose from too!)
They run about half of your budget, so you can afford to either upgrade another component too, or you can buy some more software to listen to.

It is a full range speaker, so rocking out will be no problem! (The only caveat is that they are not the most aesthetically pleasing speaker, IMHO.)

Check out the reviews of this speaker here and on Audio Asylum for more opinions and information.

My two cents worth!

i was told the same about the Merlin's.try an older pair of Silverlines,VSA 4jr's are good for the money on the used market.big old set of JBL's......good luck

I love my own speakers on all kinds of music, rock included. Depending on the size of your room a used pair of JMlabs Micro-Utopias, or even Mini-Utopias if you can find them would be great. I have the micros in a fairly small room and don't feel the need for a sub, in a larger room I might. With the Mini though, no way. That's a little speaker with a huge sound. And I gaurantee both of these would be considerably more transparent than anything listed above with the possible exception of Merlins. Lastly they are very easy to drive, I'm using about 20 tube watts. Whatever you choose just remember to have fun with the process, take your time, and listen to as much as possible.

Gotta know what system will be in front of them, that will dictate mostly what speakers you will want to look for.