I think you are putting the cart in front of the horse in assigning a value to what you will spend. Just go out there and listen and pick what you like and dont bother with the price tag. Remember that there are many factors including room and what the balance of system is that will also influence the sound. Who knows you may even like vintage. Keep an open mind not wallet.
Deciding on the right huge speaker
Say you had decided that it was time to buy the speakers of your dreams, that you were willing to spend $30K for a pair and that you were going to utilize the full services of a dealer if necessary (ie, you're willing to pay list, more or less).
We all say it's essential to listen to your potential purchases before committing, preferably in your own setting. If you were choosing between, say, the Dynaudio Temptations, the Dunlavy SC-VI, the new Snell XA (in this months Stereophile), the Krell LAT-1 and a pair of Wisdom Audio's, how would go about getting an evaluation of this field? All of these speakers are huge, both in terms of dimensions and in terms of weight. How do you go through the process with some sense that you're going to make the "right" choice? -Kirk