Speaker preference Dali, Audio Physic, Von Swiekrt

Sgun,
I too will weigh in on the Avanti 3 side. I have just bought a pair, and I have had them about two months. Like you, I could not listen to them prior to buying them. So, I based my purchase of the Avanti 3's on research, specs,prayer, etc... I cannot say that these are the last speakers I will ever own, but I would probably have to hear and be completely bowled over by any potential speakers that would take the Avanti's place. I have not heard the other two speakers you are considering, but I can tell you that it is hard to go wrong with the Avanti's.

Steve,
Sorry, I have been out of the loop for a few days. I started out with JBL S38II's which for the very small amount of money spent on them were really good speakers. This was nostalgic for me in that, I had a pair of JBL floor standers back in JBL's hey day with some great Carver gear. So, when I got back into serious audio, the JBL's were a natural choice. I then went to a pair of Harbeth Compact 7ES-2's which were much better than the JBL's, but also at quite a price jump. I next went with a pair of JM LAB Micro Utopia Be's which took sound to another level. I really liked the JM's. However, I really wanted something full range, so I after wearing down my wife, I finally moved up to the Avanti 3's. There were other contenders, but they were mostly beyond what I considered a sane amount of money to spend on a pair of loudspeakers. I hope this helps you.