Focal 700V series for 5.1 home theater or ???

I'm all about maximizing budget! Am hoping to re-listen to the Focals and probably the ML's in a week or so.

I have not heard much of the Martin Logan products beyond being very happy with their subwoofer.

Another option might be Monitor Audio if there is a dealer locally. I've only heard one of their very affordable bookshelf models, but was really impressed with its sound for the price. You might get a sound that you like for less money that the Focal's would cost.

Well ... made the BIG move ... re-listened to a bunch of things yesterday and pulled the trigger on the Focal 836V with 800 series center and sub. ( OF COURSE it was more than I had planned/budgeted for! ;) ) We have a pretty big listeneing area so ... we hope to fill it! Should be starting to set up things in a couple of weeks. Thanks for your input.

Congrats! I can't imagine that you won't be happy with your purchase once you've forgetten about the bill.

You'll find two things with the 836v speakers. First, when they are new the tweeters can sound fairly harsh. I'd suggest putting on some music with some good highs and let it run and a low to medium volume for a couple of days. It doesn't take too long to get 95% of the harshness to go away. I've heard enough of the speakers that were new and broken in that I can immediately tell if the speaker in the store is new out of the box. Second, as the speakers break in the bass response gets much stronger. This aspect isn't really a negative in the short term, but you'll likely notice a change/improvement over the long term.

What do you have for a receiver/amplification?

Just picked up a Marantz SR 7005 (saved a bit of money there - factory refurb).

Thanks for the tips! You've been very helpful.