Or one pair of Phil 3's with the Scanspeak woof for 3k? I really wonder sometimes about the playback volumes you guys generate. Or want to generate. I introduced the Phil 3's at the Capital Audio Fest last year in the largest room available (something like 24' by 28', thick carpets, acoutical ceiling tile, heavy curtains.) I played those things at volumes I could never tolerate at home for some dudes who wanted to test their limits. The dudes threw in the towel before the Scans did. I hope we're not forgetting that accurate speakers are intended to reproduce music, not noise, and not the kind of dangerous and distorted din you get at rock concerts. The Phil 2's can produce higher dB's than you should expose yourself to, unless you're feeding them source material with lots of content below 32 Hz (which rules out rock). If you want to experience the full shudder of an organ with all stops open,or the full boom of a bass drum, without a sub, then the Scan is a better choice thanthe SB Acoustics in the Phil 2. Home theater is a different matter. Prehistoric reptiles on a rampage really need a sub--not one or two or three 8" woofers.
Regarding volume levels, live acoustic instruments in a relatively intimate space, even a 25x25x10 room, can be quite loud. The differences I've noted between speakers to date, and I've never heard the Phil 2s or 3s, are not how absolutely loud they go, but their distortion level as they get very loud. The "sense of ease" the speakers have. I've heard very few speakers that get loud well, even though they can usually produce high absolute volumes. I've been astounded by what the Salon 2s can do in this regard recently, and are capable of accurately reproducing my wife's drum kit without strain. Admittedly my sub was active at the time, but I use it more for evening out bass response than I do for increasing absolute volume. If you would like, send me your email address and I can respond with a hi-res drum solo recording I made that sounds particularly interesting. The live event was *very* loud.
Due to the largely open designs of many modern homes, some of us have very large effective listening spaces. Although my room is ostensibly only 17x24 for placing furniture (and speakers), with an 18-20' ceiling in the primary listening area, the actual space is really well over twice that width on the main floor where the speakers are, though with only a 10' ceiling for two-thirds of it, and there is an additional opening of that secondary area on the second floor, but with a 9' ceiling. So the effective volume the speakers play in is on the order of 12,000 cubic feet.
As for how loud I listen, I've measured 105db peaks at my ear position, and estimating by eye it looks like the average level is in the 85-90db range. I've measured a ~5db level drop from one meter in front of the speakers to my listening seat. The source material for these live-level sessions is usually jazz, and often contemporary jazz with synthesizers. I would estimate that the live performance of my the previously referenced drum solo recording had peaks in excess of 110db. The rim shots hurt my ears.
Please don't conclude from any of this that I'm doubting the ability of the Phils to play loud, I'm just explaining that some of us are not being silly or unreasonable with the need for producing a lot of sound with low distortion.
I think there are also two very different classes of reproduction people try to achieve. One is to be transported to the recording venue, which can be huge, and therefore volumes can be lower than most people really expect, and the other is to bring the performers into one's room. In the latter case realistic reproduction can take a lot of volume. Obviously, a symphony orchestra is not practical in a residential room, but I admit to enjoying piano solos at levels that mimic what I hear from our own piano.
