Personally I would stick with Polk Audio (I do have experience with them)... Some people on this board find Polk speakers to be average when it comes to sound quality... I would disagree with them on that statement. There are so many factors that come into play when it comes to how speakers sound to someone (i.e. room acoustics, quality of drivers used, cabinet construction, a/v components used, material played, quality of the recording, and etc.)... It all comes down to what you like and can afford. Listen to your ears, they don't lie. Demo speakers as much as possible. I originally started off with seven Polk Audio R50's in my dedicated theater room along with two Polk Audio DSW Pro 600 subs... But like you, I wanted to test the waters and see what else was out there... So I demoed speakers (i.e. KEF, B&W, and Energy), looked at specs and different speaker technology (i.e. ribbon tweeters used in Adam speakers)... I ultimately decided to upgrade to a pair of Polk Audio RTi A7 for the fronts, with CSI A6 center, two RTi A3 rears, and a pair of FXi A6 for the sides... Using the same components I started with in the same room I played the same material "Incredible Hulk" on Blu-ray... The new setup did sound better to me... Certain audio nuances stood out a little more on the audio track... Was it like night and day compared to the old setup... I would have to say yes... Does it warrant the cost? To me, I would have to say yes again. Do I still have the upgrade bug... I think in this hobby it's a never ending cycle... I'm sure everyone would agree with me on that statement
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