Is $3000 pushing the limits for a geat monitor??

It's surprising that no one has mentioned the Evolution Acoustics MMMicros One's (also referred to as "Micro One"). If you look through the threads, you'll see that the issue is not whether they sound great - pretty much everyone who has heard them thinks they do - but whether they sound better than much more expensive monitors (many believe that they do). I've heard one system with them and think they're incredible for the money. Disclaimer: I own the big Evolution Acoustics MM2, so I obviously like the house sound.

As for other monitors in that price range, I also like the Dynaudio Confidence 1, but they need a lot of power to come alive, which is problematic because most high-powered amps use a lot of negative feedback, which I am very sensitive to and can't tolerate.

Both of these speakers use very simple crossovers that cause little phase shift - if used with the right electronics, they deliver truly high performance.

Dear Sunnyjim:

As I understand it, the Evolution Acoustics is basically a full-range speaker - unless it is used in a gigantic room, it does not require a sub. It did not play at all like a monitor in the system I heard it in - I was really impressed.

Yes, they are sold manufacturer-direct, but that is not necessarily bad. The vast majority of "hi-fi brands" that people have heard of are one to four-person operations, often times run out of people's basements. Evolution, on the other hand, manufactures in San Diego and China, and is owned by the U.S. distributor for darTZeel, who also owns Playback Designs - it's a real company with real resources.

In my experience in audio, which dates to 1977, ALL hi-fi companies go under (Phase Linear, Threshold, S.A.E. - there are far too many to name), and the small handful that survive are nothing more than someone buying a famous trademark and starting new production under that trademark in a new place with new designs and new management that is no way remotely related to what the old product was.

Most of the "high-end" as it's portrayed in the audiophile magazines is in truth one-man bands - "Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain" from the Wizard of Oz. There are very few Audio Researches, B&W's or McIntoshes (speaking of McIntosh, it has had three different owners in the last twenty years, but they do still manufacture in Binghamton). And buying a big name does not at all guarantee that your gear will be serviced - just ask the people who owned Mark Levinson gear after Harmon bought Madrigal and closed the Orange, Connecticut, production facility. In my experience, large size and a big name does not necessarily correlate with quality, reliability, or product service. The key is buying from someone who stands behind the product, and in this regard, there are wonderful larger manufacturers like Pass and Wilson, and wonderful smaller manufacturers like Evolution, Rockport, and VAC. As for me, I'd much rather deal with Kevin Hayes of VAC or Jonathan Tinn of Evolution than trying to call Harmon for help because the dealer who sold me my Revels no longer exists (that's one of the reasons I no longer own them). It's time for the "size doesn't matter" joke.