What a thread. Yes, you need to go listen. Your wife most probably does have much better hearing than you do. If you want a full range sound with a warmer mid, most of the speakers that folks are mentioning probably don't fit that bill IMHO. You mention looks also, so is that a wood or painted look? Yes, I'm a Vandersteen lover and you can get a pair of Treo's painted if you want to or in wood. If you want to spend much less, then the 2 or 3 are the way to go. They fit the bill about what you are looking for, but so do a few others, but until you go listen you'll never know which ones. There are many listed though that are very very hot in the high end. My wife has heard a few of them and within seconds said no way, lol. She liked Avalon's (very expensive and the distributor isn't really doing a great job with them). She heard the Legacy's with me and both of us looked at each other and said NO WAY, lol. That ribbon they use is very detailed, but it's bright. It's hard to get a smaller speaker that has little bass (physics says smaller cabinets can't produce that much bass) to sound warm. A few I've heard over the year have, but you can tell that you are missing a large part of the music.
Again, what is the budget? Where do you live? As Troy said the NYC area has a ton of dealers, but only a few who are reputable. Yes, Johnny is one and Troy is in NJ too and has a totally different set of gear. Again, you need to find out what YOU like and believe in your ears. Don't let a sales person tell you how to listen to music. If you hear a speaker make sure you listen for an hour or so and not have anyone in the room (other than your wife) to see if you can live with them full time. Often times we listen to a speaker and it sounds so "OPEN' or "extended' or whatever, but in the end it could be distortion or the speaker's just very hot and you won't be happy for the long haul. The same thing can be said about a mid that too forward. I used to LOVE Sonus Faber but they changed with their new speakers (and now being owned by the Mac group folks). I have heard them in a few set ups and they sounded dead to me. The mids were very forward and there was nothing on top. They just never opened up and they were being run with top Conrad Johnson gear (which is very good) in one set up and with top SS amps in another (I'm sorry, but I forget which amps).
It's hard to make decisions on speakers unless they are in your own room though. That's why I try to keep an open mind when going out to listen, so you want to keep that in mind also. What does your room sound like? If it's got lots of reflections and slap echo, then you really need to fix it or stay away from a speaker that is bright, unless it's a speaker that you will set up and listen to in a near field kind of set up. That way you take much of the room boundaries out of the equation.
Have fun and take what you think is good advice and stick with it. Again, trust your own ears as well as your wife's. Ask what wood choices and what other finishes you can get (like painted). The best part is that you will have fun and get what you both love I'm hoping.
