Best speakers of the group? Your opinions please

I'll add that the way each of those speakers interacts in your room will also have a significant affect on it's sound. One speaker you may like better in a different room than your own may not sound as good as in your own room. It could possibly sound better too.

I'd also do research and find more speakers in my price class. Maybe you can find some you can go and listen to. Two speakers at say 5k that are equally good will sound quite a bit different. With speakers it's very true that one man's poison...

I've heard the Avalon Eidolon and Eidolon Diamond, the Wilson Watt Puppy 7 (with Lamm 18w triodes) and the Talon Firebird. I really thought there was a significant difference b/t the Eidolon and the Eidolon Diamond, and the Diamond was my favorite of the bunch, followed by the Wilson/Lamm combo (many people feel the WP7's need something as powerful as the Krell, but they sounded quite nice with the Lamm.

Albert's words are born out of experience, and I know how much effort he has put in to finding good, synergistic matches. It's alot of work, but it pays off. You may have to experiment some, and you might even need to let go of equipment you are attached to to create the optimization you seek. The trick will be to hear the speakers at their best performance so that you are able to choose for yourself.

Of this group I never heard the Revel and The Talon.
Talking about the ones that I know, I prefer the Avalon Eidolon. Great speakers! But has someone said above, taste and set up are very important.
This is a big investement, try listening befere you buy. But if you ask me again what speakers I prefer from this group, my answer is the same - Avalon Eidolon.
Good hunting!!

if you like the character of your system now, i would say go for the nautilus 800's. depending on your tastes in music, i would say look at shahinian and vandersteen too.

You have to hear them in your room with your system, i think. I heard the Avalons at a hi fi show recently, with $50,000 cdplayer. The monoblocks used in this demo were $70,000 and devine to look at, but i forgot the name, so struck dumb was i by the price of it all and the lousy sound.This system in this room sounded awful with some cd's that i knew well. I am assuming that the room was totally at fault here.