Can you help or do I have to get divorced?

The Linn speakers are an excellent suggestion and are in your budget range. As mentioned, many of those Linns such as the Tukan were designed to be placed against the rear wall. Stereophile had a great review on the Tukan a few years back. In my case, I took my wife to a Hi-Fi show so she could see quite a few different manufacturers lines. Budget wise I wanted Martin Logan SL-3's at the time....they were NOT ACCEPTABLE visually but when she saw the Avalons.......I blew my budget but I got the Avalons I always wanted and I can put them anywhere in the living room I like!! Good luck with your dilema !

I'm a golf nut (9 handicap and don't care to work day in and day out to get any lower), a hockey nut, and an audio nut. Anyway, you're jammed so I'd go along with the B&W LM1's or the Gallo speakers. Wall mounted, small, unobtrusive. I own both, the LM1's reside in my bedroom and bathroom, the Gallo's in my HT system. Run your wires through the walls/ceilings or along the baseboards. They come in designer colors and are damned small. Both would benefit from a subwoofer, the Gallo MPS150 subwoofer is small and does a nice job (you can tuck it under a chair or couch easily). I'd go for a pair of LM1's and a MPS150 and once she chills out you can use'em for a dedicated HT while you roll in big-ass planars for your two channel rig.

TommyT - the Spendor S3/5s would work great. Small and beautifully finished. Sound their best on stands but can be used in a bookcase without killing the sound. Very natural; terrific mid-range. Lack low base if that's important, but given your constraints compromise is necessary.

Come in a number of finishes - why not let the wife pick the one she likes, might help.

P.S. There's a pair in rosewood being offered in the classifed for $699 obo.

Get what you want and say, "Get over it." She will.

I would have serious questions about a relationship in which one of the parties could not understand or would not accede to something as important as music. This isn't a matter of tolerating the disease of audiophilia. It is about honoring and respecting things that are important in each other's lives. Any time I hear someone say (speaking of SAF), "I can't have" or "she won't let me have" I start to worry. Healthy relationships are grounded in "I would prefer" or "have you thought about?", not in "you can't have!"

In the days before your prelate discovered the ineffable joys of celibacy, he was married to a remarkable woman of many virtues. She had, alas, a tendency to say, "You can't have." Unfortuantely for her, I was just as adamant and built my sound system, anyway. I made sure I was as responsive to her interests (horses) as she was to mine. We had some rounders for sure as both of us struggled for dominance and control but in the end I learned to love horses and she learned to love good audio.

IF you are behaving reasonably in the matter of money, etc. then stand your ground and tell her, gently and supportively, that she'll just have to adjust. And then give back to her the same kind of support for the things important in her life.

Will

Buy the cheapest. She can keep them as part of the divorce settlement.