I don't really follow audio much and seldom visit or post on forums, so I am way out of date.
About 10 years ago I traded my early Vandersteens for Martin Logan SL3s. Loved the Vandersteens and traded up because the SL3s were the first I had ever heard that really sounded better. And I could , just barely, pay for them. Even though they made everything that had sounded great on the Vandersteens sound terrible, so I had to upgrade my entire system.
(btw - the SL3s or the Vandersteens both require a whole room. Four feet out from the back wall, four feet from a side wall, gee-whiz cables, an amp you could weld with, blah, blah. If they aren't setup right, you will never appreciate them. When they are dialed in - wow. Probably the reason so many are unimpressed by them. My local Tweeters has the latest version of this series on the floor, set up so badly they won't even play. You really can just barely tell they are on.)
Flash forward a decade or so to a home theater in a smallish family room. No way are the Martin Logans going to work in here. Four feet from the wall means you can't get to the couch. Besides, they are busy hoggin' up the entire living room. I've got to go with something smaller. But, I still have that reference point lurking in the next room.
Has some whole new physics offered us something small (bookshelf), much cheaper - but still can play TV/DVD stuff without sounding awful by comparison?
Suggestions? No, I was looking for a suggestion other than therapy.
