Lots of choices!
Maybe I can help a little. You said it's tough as a consumer to compare speakers all side by side, & you're right. I'm a dealer of over 2 dozen speaker brands (including several mentioned in this thread like RBH & totem for example) & I'll be the first to tell you that it's beyond TOUGH to find the one-size-fits all perfect speaker. The good thing is that a lot of speakers out there will fit your needs really well. You have a very healthy budget to get something incredibly nice.
I would typically be the 1st one to suggest options that would max out your $2K budget. However, in this case (and without a LOT of questions asked/answered), I think a little monetary restraint (at least on your front mains) could prove in the long run to offer up an incredible system. I will suggest a few "Value" orriented systems & one or two to max out your $2K L/R mains budget.
Understand when researching your options, that the subwoofer you choose will without question have the biggest impact (pun intended) on the overall performance of your system. NOT your main fronts. So, saving up front & putting the rest towards what is to be your sub budget will yield a great theatre & (typically) a very good music experience. Choose a great sounding bookshelf that's capable of producing the nuances of a movie soundtrack at strong, forceful volumes & you'll have what you NEED. No more, no less. Without knowing the challenges of your room, placement, esthetic preferances, etc. I'm going to be very general & offer L/R main options. Obviously, you'd choose a matching center & surrounds.
Note: Everything I'm about to recommend I've used in my own home &/or in client's systems.
"Value"
Option ONE: Era D5. One of the best built speakers I've been able to find. An absolutely incredible speaker for the money. I recommend these to clients all the time & have NEVER been dissapointed. MSRP $900 - $990 per pair depending on finish.
http://signalpathint.com/index.php/Design-5-Series/
I really LOVE the Era D5 option!
Option TWO: BG Z1. At the low end of your budget. Not the prettiest girl at the party, but she dances like no other... on the high stuff. The tweeter on these is the best I've heard & offers my favorite sound (of a tweeter). With a great sub, this is an incredible music speaker & would do just as well for movies. Not much of a low end at all but that's what the sub's for. $600 per pair.
http://bgcorp.com
Option THREE: Klipsch RB-81. Yeah, people bash on Klipsch (fine by me) for musicality. &, depending on listening habbits/material, they're right. For movies, though, Klipsch can really excell for you. A neutral, soft, borring sound is not what most people want to hear in a movie or game sound track. The "bright" Klipsch sound can be very appealing for movies, TV, & games because of the easy to pick up detail offered by said "brightness". & no speaker I've ever heard sounds as detailed at low volumes which can be great for night time or family use. No, they're not very pretty to look at, but they're well built & will be forgiving if your amplification budget is a little low. $800 per pair.
http://www.klipsch.com/products/details/rb-81.aspx
"Top of Your Budget"
Option ONE: PSB Synchrony One B. Very very very nice speaker. Smaller version of the Synchrony One tower which hase garnered a lot of (some deserving, some not) praise in the speaker world. Pretty in the cherry finish. Very capable speaker. Forcefull, clear, excellent presentation of movies & music. However, this isn't as good of a value as say the Era D5. Better? You'll have to audition them. I don't know if I would spend $2K on a pair. If you can get a deal, then compare them in cost to the Era D5 & maybe it's worth the step up in $. These will be better for a really large room. If that's not your case, then to the Synchrony Two B or the Era would be where to look. Neat thing about these are the wall mountable Synchrony S surrounds (but those are VERY pricey surrounds @ $2K). $2000 for the One B & $1500 for the Two B.
http://www.psbspeakers.com/products/Synchrony/Synchrony-One-B
Option TWO: Canton Vento 820. Ask me & I can say without blinking that Canton consistantly makes the best built speaker I've ever seen. Materials are 1st rate. The high gloss cherry sounded "different" at first, but it's incredible. The overall sound out of these is superb. A closer look at the finish is here if you scroll down a bit:
http://blog.stereophile.com/ces2009//index1.html . Canton's one of my 5 favorite speaker brands. The way they design, manufacture, build, & ship there speakers is quite unique. This speaker will give you anything you'd ever want out of a bookshelf. WARNING: You will want to power these properly! You can get a bit of a deal on these & come in under $2K. MSRP $2400 per pair. Too high? Look to the Karat series just below these @$1500 per pair.
http://www.canton.de/en-produktdetail-vento-vento820.htm
In the end & given your starting budget of $2K for mains, I would do the Following system:
Main L/R -
Era D5$900 - $990
Center -
Era D5 LCR $700 - $770
Surrounds -
Era D3 $400 - $440
Sub -
JLAUDIO Fathom F110 $2000 - $2100
Receiver -
Marantz SR5003 $800
MSRP a little over $5K but you can do this around $4K if you work on it.
Want to cut your budget? Sub can change to something like Sunfire HRS 12 $900 or Atlantic Technology 642e for $1K. This is all at retail MSRP. Deals can be had for sure.
Hope this helps you try some new stuff!
