If there was one speaker that comes up for me in my readings as a giant-killing-mega-value, it could be the Infinity Primus 360? I think(?) KEW has had these, had great things to say about them, and that's from someone who has or had Salk and high end Focal at his place at the same time. So, I'd like to as him . . . They would have to be found on the classifieds though. Newer model is more expensive, but then again, still within budget and perhaps it still fares well?
Hi KEW. What do you think of the Infinity Primus 360 for Jeff?
I will often recommend the P362's to someone looking for speakers, and it is an easy recommendation to make. They are exceptional for the cost!
As was mentioned, I would be worry about the bass concerns.
However, your question did remind me of another possibility.
I also compared the P362's to Behringer 2031P's - in the same room, level matched, instant switch back and forth - so a comparison I feel very good about. I liked the 2031P's better. (I don't recommend them so often, because they just don't fit normal profile for HT fronts). An audio friend came over while I still had them setup and I gave him the RC to see what he thought and he reached the same conclusion.
The Behringer had tighter bass and the P362 had more coloration in general (though not bad by any means).
I don't know if the 2031P's which are ported with a 8-3/4" woofer would have similar bass problems, but I'd bet the 2030P's would fit the bill!
In case you had not seen it, there's more than you would ever want to know about the Behringers here (see post #145 for FR of 2031P. FR of 2030 is in the thread somewhere
but both are pretty darn good):
http://www.hometheatershack.com/forums/home-audio-speakers/23642-thoughts-behringer-studio-monitors-2030-others-active-passive-15.html#post324642
At <$200 a pair I sometimes question my sanity for buying $2000+ speakers! Comparing these with my higher dollar speakers - For midrange detail, I felt like the Behringers equaled or beat the S2's and Salks. The active Focals had the advantage over them.
Of course, on the high end, the Be tweeters and the ribbon tweeters had more extension, but my friend didn't really notice enough difference up there to matter much. The Behringers do have a very good soft dome tweeter.
To give you some perspective, the upper highs matter to me more than most. In my office, I am annoyed by high pitched servo noise that two 30 something women, one 40 something guy, and one 50 something woman do not hear - I am 52 and sit across the room - so I know I have freakish HF hearing. I also can't charge my cell phone by the bed because of the HF sound from the AC adapter.
I suspect my friend has slightly worse than average HF hearing.
My friend would put the Behringers as fair competition for the Salks or the S-2's (disregarding bass), and I would be inclined to agree if I took the upper high frequency out of the equation.
I have no idea what type of return policy pro shops have but if it is easy, you might want to give them a try.
