help narrowing down my list of speakers, $2500

I agree, and I am voting for Maxxc as class president. In fact, if Maxxc is available for the next four years, I'm writing him in on the national ballot.

All kidding aside:
Based on your list, if you are going with floorstanders (my preference), I would spend all of $1300-1500 for a pair of Soliloquy 6.3's. I was a professional musician for over ten years, and my experience with the Soliloquy line is that they sound like the amp that feeds them. And they are the most non-fatiguing speaker I have heard. Finally, every person who ever heard them in my system--no matter what speakers they favored--said one word about the Soliloquy's: natural. I have the Silverline Sonata II, and absolutely love them, but they could potentially overpower your room. For $1300-1500, you're set. Spend the rest of your money on romantic CD's and dinners for the girl who melts at the sound of Metallica on your stereo.

All of the other speakers mentioned are superb, but I personally think they will require additional effort to obtain the best amp/speaker synergy, and some of them (as Maxxc mentioned) will not serve your intended purpose.

If you are going with monitors + sub, I think others here would have more useful feedback than I would.

Unless you want to spend a lot of time 'figuring this out', that's my 2 cents, for what it's worth.

All the best,
Howard

Jrwr7,

If you're ever in the Sacramento area, I invite you to come on by and have a listen to Tool/Soundgarden/Kings X on our Sonata II's. In fact, we only use them for rock. I think they might overpower Jamiec001's room--and Alan Yun (Silverline's head honcho) might be shocked--but Alice in Chains never sounded better IMO.
All the best,
Howard

Well I hear JMR's can not rock compared to the likes of Totem and Dynaudio. So im scratching them. Narrowed the list down to this, paired with Naim electronics all around:
-Dynaudio Contour
2.8\Contour
1.8mkII
-Totem
Forest\Hawk\Staff\Mani 2
-Neat
-Silverline Sonata II
-Anthony Gallo
Refrence III
-ATC SCM20SL\SCM35
-Tyler Acoustics
Taylo 7U
-Rega R9
-Sp Technology
-Living Voice

I wouldn't scratch the VR-4JRs off your list just yet, if fact they are my personal favorites and should definately be heard!
That being said I've only heard a few of the speakers on your list, obviously the VR-4JRs... also the Dynaudio, Totem, Tyler & the Gallo Reference III.
The Gallo's would be a very close second and maybe even first on my short list. If you dig the looks of these speakers you're going to love the sound they produce!
One more suggestion, listen to any speaker from VMPS!

Hearing is believing...
geoh

You will almost certainly hate this post. However, the VMPS Ribbon Monitor IIs would absolutely lunch every member of your shortlist with rock music. They have the bass extension and dynamic impact of speakers many, many times their price, without the indistinct soundstage, iffy imaging, and honkiness of most members of this species. No sub needed, btw. Shockingly good, if hard to find.