Emerald Physics C2 or Usher BE-718

Can anyone compare the CS2 to Salk HT3's? The Salk HT3 is the only other more expensive speaker i have heard.

I am a newbie and about to purchase my amp, speaker cables, etc. I figure that my speaker choice will affect these greatly, so i'd better make my decision on that first.

If i go with the Wyred4Sound multichannel amp, do i still need multiple interconnects and multiple speaker cables? Did someone say that only XLR interconnects can be used? How would that be so if they are speakers? Would they not just need speaker cables?

I am figuring roughly $1 to $1.5K additional layout for loss in buying and selling, multichannel amp and additional speaker cables, minus the need for a lot of room treatments. Is it correct that you don't really need room treatments with the CS2?

I am trying to compare this with spending the cash on say a Modwright Transporter as bigger bang for the buck improvement, but the speaker choice will affect amp choice, cables, etc, so i figure this must be done first.

Again i realize that they are completely different speakers, but wondering if they are worth the cost and effort to upgrade. Thanks!

Also has anyone modified their CS2 and DCX2496 mods? How much of an effect did this have? Perhaps i could look into the CS2's and later mod them in the future if the improvement was siginificant enough. thanks.