I get your frustration, samhfoley!
The positive way to look at it is that I can honestly say all of the systems that have been recommended are high quality, great sounding speakers!
This isn't a case where you may pick one, only to find that it's awful. This is a case where you could pick any of them and it will sound good!
I'm a little bit puzzled by the "some people don't like the EMP speakers" comment as well. I'm sure that statement is true - after all, I have seen comments from people who do not like Axiom speakers and from people who do not like Ascend speakers, or KEF speakers, or ANY speaker, for that matter.
The thing is, what's most important is to know WHY someone didn't like a particular speaker - and that usually has more to do with the interaction of the speakers with the room and listening environment.
For example, I would hesitate to recommend Axiom speaker to you, in particular. Why? Because they have no high frequency roll-off what-so-ever. It is very likely that they would sound harsh in your room. Does that make them "bad" speakers? Not at all! In a larger, acoustically treated room, Axiom speakers can deliver some of the most accurate, detailed sound for very reasonable prices! But that doesn't make them the perfect choice for EVERY room. And in a room such as yours, you would likely join the small group of people who have complained about Axiom speakers sounding "harsh", "bright" and "sibilant".
Audio is a partnership between your room and the speakers. You can pick speakers that measure extremely well in an "ideal" room and then have them battle with your "less than ideal" room, OR you can understand the issues of your "less than ideal" room and then pick speakers that will work in harmony with those conditions.
So...I can understand some people not liking the EMP EF50 speakers. If they were to use them in a large room, the would sound inadequate in the mid-bass. If they were to use them in a non-reflective room, they may sound lacking in detail because of their high frequency roll-off. And if the listener is sitting far away from them, they may find the EF50 speakers lacking in imaging because at distance, their wide dispersion will lead to a more blended and less precise soundstage.
All valid complaints, but all due to room interaction and setup. In YOUR room, all of the EF50 speakers' characteristics end up being advantages rather than disadvantages. And the characteristics of other speakers end up being disadvantages, where in other rooms, they may be beneficial.
So that is WHY I recommend the EMP EF50 speakers. It is not that I think they are "the best" speakers in outright terms. It is because they have certain characteristics (wide dispersion, slight high frequency roll-off) that will work particularly well in your specific room.
The EMP EF30 speakers are similar - they are just physically larger is all. Fewer people complain about the EF30 speakers because they extend deeper into the bass frequencies and they have less of a high frequency roll-off. That will likely sound better to more people in more rooms. But in your particular situation, the EF50 speakers have advantages - the ones I've mentioned and also physically smaller size.
So I would really welcome some further explanation if others feel that there is a much better choice, but just saying, "these are better" or "these are worse" is not really helpful because without reasons, it is just confusing!
FINAL THOUGHT: regardless of which speakers you pick - please remember to get an Auralex SubDude to put beneath your subwoofer!
