Building a system and need some imput on speakers

what is your current system? as far as natural sounding speakers go, i don't think most users think of the sound coming from their speakers as 'unnatural'. its also just as likely to spend a lot less, unless of course you just dig the speakers you're mentioning. in that case, if you already own nice speakers, change for the sake of change is a valid, if costly reason to move to something different.

ps...if you're still using mini utopias and sub, i don't think any of the speakers mentioned are a step up any ladder.

I realize that you think you're going to save money by not going out and auditioning some speakers, but I think that's exactly what you need to do. Speaker choice is a very personal thing, as speakers that one person loves might be irritating to you.

I'd advise you to go to local dealers and listen to different speakers just to get some sense of the differences. Take CD's with you so that you can listen to your own material. And keep in mind that the speaker-room interaction and the speaker placement can make a big difference. (And to a lesser extent, the amp-speaker match.)

I know that's not specifically answering your question, but in the long run I think you'll be much happier (and have more money in your wallet) if you shop around and find the speaker that you really like and keep it for some time, rather than being disappointed with other people's suggestions and on a perpetual cycle of buying and selling.

Michael

Take your time and listen to as many speakers as you can. I have not listened to the speakers you identified. But there are numerous speakers out there that are extremely competitive.

For example, the Dali Helicon 400MK2 is well within your budget as a new purchase.

You also need to look at the entire system as a whole with amp, preamp, source, dedicated electrical lines in mind with your loudspeakers.

All speakers have compromises and it is very difficult to use other people's opinions once you get to the level where the obvious faults are taken care of. We will not even be able to agree on what is important for something to sound like "real music". This means that most of the advice you get is along the "I have XXX and I like it".

My idea of natural sound doesn't get delivered from box speakers, but I am not sure whether you like dipoles at all.

I love my Quad 2805s, but if your pop/rock interests means that you like playing really loud then they will not be for you. In that case I would suggest the excellent Linkwitz Orion (www.linkwitzlab.com), which I auditioned before buying the Quads. They are also great value (your budget including the 12-channel amp) and pretty spouse-friendly since it is smallish and have a large variation in looks.