Can you help or do I have to get divorced?

Yup I can help you, take her with you when you go audition speakers. That way she has input on the right color speaker for the room or you can get those lil Bose cubes(HT in the box)and hide them. To all the single men reading this post -take a lesson, this is why you need complete your system before marriage or you end up with a Bose--Ht in the box system.

What about B&W 602 bookshelf speakers, at roughly $600 per pair? I don't own them, but have heard them in a dealer's audition room, and they sounded very clean and detailed. They have a reputation for sounding bright initially, but neutral once they're broken in. At a lower price, what about KEF Cresta 2 speakers, or PSB Alphas? I think our friend is looking for some advice on equipment, not chest-thumping riffs impugning his masculinity unless he chooses confrontation over accomodation. Maybe a few of you have career ambitions to become the underwriters for the college tuition payments of some domestic relations lawyer's offspring, but I think he's just looking to buy some good-sounding speakers he and his wife can both live with.

I had to send off to Australia to find an audiophile wife. I think one of these guys got the last American one. I insisted on the prenup just in case.

Seriously though, if you can find a pair of Paradigm Studio 20's via Audiogon or Ebay, they are a fantastic bang for the buck. Expect a used cost of approximately $350-450 depending upon wether they are version 1 or 2.

Hey, this exact same thing happened to me.

....let me tell you the story.

I thought I was pretty savvy, when I asked her to marry me I made her vow that I got to keep the audio hobby and I get to keep buying equipment, she was of course so happy she said "yes" and did so with a big smile on her face.

When she made me sell my house and buy a bigger one for "us" she promised that I could have my own audio room, again no problem we both were happy about the deal.

But there was no spendng money on audio stuff, I actually got yelled at for joinng BMG for those 7 "free" CDs.

When she got a big entertainment center for the family room I wanted audio and so she gave me dimensions for the acceptable sized speakers. Oh yeah! A little lookng and Sonus Faber Concertina's fit easily in the dimensions so I got them. They looked big, so she recanted. But I pulled out the tape measure. She admitted they were in the size limt and next bought stuff to hide them- plants and clocks etc....... all appeared good....

....time passes...

Then she kept getting mad when I go into the dedicated room no more than 1 time per week to listen to music as I am "avoiding" her. I cannot listen to a full CD when she comes in and starts complaining about why I'm not hanging out with her. She also gets mad when we both watch TV and I try to speak, as it does not allow her to follow the plot of the reality TV junk on the screen; also when a movie is playing and you want actual surround sound with LFE. "its too loud." I am trying to be nice so let it go. Eventually...

...divorce in progress.

You seem like a nice guy, but make your stand now and find out what you are in for.

Been there dude. Not fun.

Buy a nice set of head-phones.

If you insist on speakers you want to look at horns.

If you don't like horns you need something specifically designed for on-wall placement. Anything else will have an anoying lower midrange boost.