the big one: how do you choose speakers? By what features, data?

@kennyc 

if this is your budget… great place to start!

yes, that's a good list @kennyc 

Totem, Harbeth, ATC, Revel are good options!

Optimizing the acoustics in your room cannot be over- emphasized. Recently we redecorated our family room and the sound of my system changed for the worse. Now we have to cover the floors better, put in fabric shades, bass traps etc. 

I think it is so hard to choose speakers because usually when you audition a pair, you can only compare it to what the particular dealer has. How can you compare for example a Sonus Faber vs. Wilson vs. Dynaudio vs. Magico vs Magnapan? Impossible. But ultimately there are mostly great choices out there. It's hard to find speakers from top companies that aren't really good. 

For me aesthetics is important. If the speaker is ugly, I'm not sure I would buy them even if they sounded great. If Maggies weren't so bulky and unpleasant to stare at, I would get a pair of 3.7is in a hearbeat. IMO for $8900 they are a sonic steal!!!

Listen to monitors at an audio show. You will know when you hear it. Audio memory is short so back-to-back comparisons help. 

@ct10 If one has $8900, yes :)

I think there is a lot of great value around 3 and 7K