Hi, DanH
Well it seems as though you're really agonizing over this purchase. I understand. You want to get this right the first time. But I have a question for you: how much critical listening experience do you have?
The reason I ask is because a lot of what we pay for in the little bit higher price brackets is purely for looks. And if it's actually for sound, it's nuance and diminished returns. This is not to say there aren't seriously worthwhile improvements. But without a very good "base line" of critical listening experience, the worthwhile improvements aren't necessarily things that are going to jump out at you right away. It takes some experience to understand and appreciate some of these differences and without the experience behind you, you're strictly basing things on preference, which often has little to do with accuracy, and more to do with expectation or what you're already used to.
You've obviously got a keen interest in audio, which is awesome! But the $1000/pair bookshelf bracket is a VERY confusing place. And when you start into the used market for speakers that originally retailed for more than $1000/pair, it's truly best if you really know what you're doing.
If you're looking to frequently swap out speakers, then have at it! There's no better way to build your critical listening experience than by listening, listening, listening! But if you're looking to buy a pair of good bookshelf speakers and keep them for a while, here's what I'd recommend:
Get yourself a pair of Ascend CBM-170SE and a genuinely good subwoofer. It's not just about loud output with the sub, it's about accurate bass reproduction and being able to genuinely "tell it like it is" with any and every recording. Same goes for the speakers. When you have a keen interest in audio, but you're still learning how to listen critically and you're still building your library of experience, what you need most are highly accurate speakers that simply "tell it like it is". You get used to those speakers and that sub, and you'll be miles ahead when it comes to evaluating other speakers in the future! You'll be able to easily identify and appreciate what more expensive speakers are bringing to the table aside from just better looks.
It's a little like buying a Lamborghini before you've learned how to drive
Who appreciates the performance of that car more? The kid who got it as his first car from a rich daddy? Or the guy who started with a Corvette, learned how to drive the hell out of it, and then clawed his way up each level of performance until he got to the genuine super cars? Who's gonna drive that Lambo better? Who's gonna understand what's going on under the hood better? Who would be better informed to make comparisons?
I'd take your $1000 budget and buy a pair of Ascend CBM-170SE and an HSU VTF-2 MK4. You get used to that 2.1 setup. You really learn how the tuning options of that subwoofer work, how to get a great blend with the speakers, how room placement affects both the subwoofer and the speakers. You drive the hell out of that rig! You do that, and you'll come to realize just how much more money you really have to spend before you'll hear genuinely BETTER speakers. You'll hear plenty of speakers that sound DIFFERENT. But not a whole lot that are purely BETTER all around. When you do find those better speakers, you'll understand WHY they're better. You'll know how to get the most out of them. And you'll appreciate them so much more than if you just try to "skip the line" right away.
Your keen interest should be rewarded. But it should be rewarded with real education and experience. Not just a prize that has a high dollar value, but not the understanding and critical senses to go along with it. Think of this speaker purchase more like buying tools than toys. If you ask a carpenter which tool is his most important, you might get a lot of different answers. But the carpenter you want to hire is the guy who says his most important tool is his level
In the long run, you'll be streets ahead
