Best speakers for $1500 or less?

Thanks for the ideas. How much are you selling the X12 demos for?

Wow, those do get great reviews, thanks.

Thanks for all the good suggestions. Wow, I've now tried quite a few different speakers. Fun but also stressful! I've tried B&W, Paradigm, Magnepan (few different models), Dynaudio X12, Audio Monitor RX6 (surprisingly underwhelmed), Vandersteen (1ci - also underwhelmed), and today I just tried the Martin Logan Motion 20. I keep wanting to like a floorstanding speaker, but keep coming back to the Sonus Faber Venere 1.5. I would say my second favorite was the Dynaudio X12. However, today, I was really surprised with the quality of the Martin Logan Motion 20; caveat on that - Magnolia (Best Buy) is including a ML subwoofer for free if you buy the Motion 20 or 40. I have to say that the Motion 20 with the ML subwoofer sounded great! Anyone else hear these? I have a relatively small living room - 11 by 16 - so not sure if I want to go with the big monitor or the small floorstanding. Thoughts on the Martin Logan Motion series welcome. Thanks!

Thanks for the reply. Agree. I listened to both the 20s and the 40s. I have a pretty small living room, so the 20s should do fine. Do you think these would pair well with either the Rogue integrated amps - Sphinx or Cronus (that's the direction I'm going - starting from scratch)?

Well, thanks to all for great suggestions. In the last month, I've gone to 6 different hi-fi stores, some 2 or 3 times. I've auditioned many - maybe most - of the suggestions here. It's so hard to compare apples to apples (different size rooms, different amplifiers, etc.). In the end, I narrowed it down to the Martin Logan Motion 20s and Totem Sttafs. I use the word "captivating" to describe the Sttafs, though I've learned that they're not for everybody's taste. They are truly a very musical speaker. A little weak, admittedly, on the low end, but overall in the $1500-2000 range they turned out to be my favorite. Love the natural, laid back sound, and they seem very fast and responsive. If need be, maybe I'll add a sub at some point. I will again say that no one should sell the ML Motion 20s or 40s short - they are great speakers for the price. I got an excellent deal on the Sttafs, btw. Now, my final challenge to put my system together - speaker cables! SUGGESTIONS? I don't really want to spend much more than $200. My amp is the Rogue Cronus (not the Magnum version), if that matters (and I know some swear it does). Thanks for being kind to this novice...