Advice about warm, gentle speakers...

I hope you did not misinterpret my post as an attack on your analysis Jerry... That definitely was not my intent

That was not my intent either, Dave, with respect to your post.

I find that it can be quite difficult to make recommendations to people, for precisely the reason you state in your latest post. It's close to impossible to quantify what it is that someone else is seeking, how it will behave in their system, or whether or not they would even hear it the same way that I would. Oh...what to do???

Thanks again for the additional suggestions. I had forgotten how much fun it is to scour the internet looking for details on each recommended brand and model. Kind of a Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance thing: “the journey is more important than the destination”. In any event, I am looking at all the options suggested and I really appreciate the time everyone is taking—there is no way I would be able to learn about the sound qualities of these brands on my own (or even the potential sound qualities such as those discussed regarding the Tyler speakers. BTW, the Tylers are an option I would never have considered without your collective input--thanks). Given the constraints of my situation I recognize I will have to put up with a number of sonic compromises but with these suggestions I think I will be able to mine a lot of good sound from a restricted set of resources. If I can get some of these speakers in for an in home audition I will try to post my observations for others like myself that are trying to extract listenable sound from a limited home theater rig.

You may want to consider some single driver "tweeterless" designs. The Omega Super 3 meets all your criteria and costs less than you've budgeted. The Carolina Audio Jordan Monitors also come to mind. Note that I've never heard the Jordans and know them only by reputation - very highly regarded in the single driver community.

Marty