Speaker Ideas upto $2500

It does give the OP a short list out of the hundreds (thousands?) of $2500 possibilities. The responses are the most helpful when accompanied by a description of the speaker's strengths and defining characteristics, such as optimum room size, typical room interaction, radiating pattern, sensitivity, tonal balance, dynamics, etc. --and whether the speaker presents an easy or tough load, sounds particularly good/bad with tubes or class D, etc.

05-29-09: Jaybo
lots of great used buys from many brands...'new' however, in that range for a magnificent allrounder...klipsch, ohm, maggie (castle if you can find it)..pick your poison.

And don't forget the Canadians, eh? Mirage, Paradigm, PSB, Energy, and Totem all have excellent, well-controlled, wide-dispersion linear speakers in that price range.

I've been living with a pair of Mirage OMD-15s for nearly a year. I liked them when I got them, but I like them even better the more I listen to them. They are deceptively versatile, having good low-level detail, smooth on- and off-axis response (they're nearly omnidirectional), enough bass extension that you're unlikely to need a sub unless it's an unfriendly room or you're a pipe organ freak. They are quite strong down to the mid-30s at least.

I have broad musical tastes, and play a lot of LPs and a fair amount of digital sources through these speakers, including chamber music, small orchestral baroque, bombastic large orchestral music (e.g., The Planets), opera, large scale oratorios, classic rock and pop, acoustic pop (James Taylor, Gordon Lightfoot, Joni Mitchell), electric and acoustic blues, acoustic bluegrass/country, and jazz--lots of jazz, from solo guitar to small group to big band. These speakers never disappoint. They scale well from solo all the way to large ensembles, present a coherent soundstage, and yet delineate inner voices, delicate harmonies, and counterpoints easily.

As omnis, they can fill a large space without straining, but since they are small columns with two active 5.5" woofers (and one passive radiator), they're unlikely to overload mid-sized rooms. The bass speed and clarity (especially when teamed with an ICE amp) is pretty astonishing.

For best soundstage and imaging, it's best to space these speakers wider than is customary, and to have them at least 3 feet out from the walls, but when you do, what a soundstage!

The thing I like best, however, is how practical and social these speakers are. The circular, uniform dispersion means there is no venetian blinding, no suckouts, no "cupped hands" effect, no "head in a vice" requirements. Put on some music and anyone in the listening area get treated to a stable soundstage like a live performance. Great for parties and large groups. But equally adept for intimate listening for one or two.