PSB vs. Paradigm vs. B W

I recently was shopping forspeakers and focused on PSB Stratus Goldi vs. Paradigm Reference 100 vs. NHT 2.9, all at about the same price point. All are STEREOPHILE Class B. What I found was that all three sounded quite different and all three sounded quite good. The differences were in shading. The NHT's had the more brilliant high end, the Paradigms the nicest bass and the PSB's the best mid-range. All were excellent speakers, though, and I would have been happy with any. I ended up letting the cosmetics (spouse) decide the issue. You really cannot go wrong with the brands you mention.

There really is no answer to your question. When looking to buy speakers, it's all about what sounds best to YOUR ears. I have a pair of B&W CDM7's, and I love them, but I listened to many other speakers before settling on them. My advice is to find a few good audio stores in your area, audition some speakers, and then try finding the one you choose on-line or used.

All three lines you refer to are good. The difference is the performance vs cost issue. PSB have their Image series assembled in a factory in China using a modular construction/design process. They are outstanding performers. Do not be fooled by price;read the revievs at the PSB website. There is an excellent place to buy these as well,check out Canadahifi@home.com on Ebay.Or simply e-mail.

Any advice really depends on what your muscial preferences are. If you plan to use the B&K AVR-307 mostly for music go for the best L&R loudspeakers you can afford. If you are replacing speakers you can use those for the rear surrounds until you can afford to upgrade. My system is used primarily for music but I also watch movies about 25% of the time. I purchased a pair of used Paradigm Reference Studio 60s for $600. My surrounds and center channel are relatively cheap mass market stuff; I'll upgrade later. If you get good deals on used speakers you might be able to afford an entire HT set-up of Paradigms or B&Ws.