Speaker help please for $2000 US

Olga: I just got a pair of Silverline Audio SR-17's. Absolutlely smoked my Paradigms straight out of the box (no break in time then, near on 24 hrs already of steady, verrrrry happy listening). These little guys not only make magic with classical, but they can ROCK! And since you mentioned it - the first cd I played was Joan Armatrading - or was she really in my living room? So far, I can say that their "soft dome" tweeter can hit notes I probably can't hear, and the ones I can are as smooth as a new tube. And bass - my gawd the bass! (Well, ok, I had been deprived to an extent - Paradigm only went to about 46hz, these guys measure down to the mid 30's) Still - the bass is a joy! Believe me when I tell ya, the extremes are only the beginning - the mid range is where these speakers really excel, but I'm running low on superlatives here. The only caveat (and I'm beginning to believe this is may be true for all "good" speakers) is that they absolutely tell the truth about your equipment, but your Parasound shouldn't be a problem. At the dealer, this was obviously not an issue (He set up top end Conrad Johnson gear throughout (Transport, DAC, Pre & Power, J. Michel Orbe(?) tt with $8500 SME arm & cartridge - oy, if only I had Bill Gates checkbook!). Me, pending my new tube amp and passive pre, I'm still using my oldish NAD AV713, and NAD 515 CD - and it still sounds miles away from my Paradigms. Just for the record, I've been hunting for speakers with a 2k price cutoff for a while, and have auditioned on my system Spendors (yuck!) and Phase Techs (not significantly better than the Paradigms at significantly more money). Like you, however, I am limited in what I can audition locally - I originally went to this dealer to audition Meadowlark Kestral Hot Rods & Silverline Panatella IIs - but he had NO stock of any Meadowlark products at all, and the SR-17s were all he had in the 2k range for Silverline (luckily for me, as it turns out). This is the only Meadowlark or Silverline dealer within 2 hrs one way, but I have no other option except the dealer I got the Spendor and Phase Techs from (who also carries Pro-Acs, but ....no stock. Seems to be a trend - become a dealer, but don't stock any product. At least my Paradigm dealer keeps the full line available on site, and generally is a willing lender for demo's!) Ok, I got excited, I'm sorry. May I simply say I recommend the Silverline SR-17 to you? chas

Hi Olga, consider Thiels, maybe 1.5's, or 2 2's since you don't need a lot of bass even though both these speakers have a very satisfying low end. The ultimate would be 3.6's, IMHO, the best speaker under 10K. I have found Thiels to have the most open, natural sound for a dynamic speaker, especially acoustic guitar. However, these speakers will rock also. Your price range is a fit for used, the 3.6's are an 8 year old design so you can find them for sale around 2K. Good luck.

Olga, I have to suggest the Martin Logan SL-3's. They are the direct competitor with the Magneplanars mentioned above. I bought them because I got a good deal on them locally, otherwise I would have had to drive to Chicago to audition the maggies. Either way acoustic music (my favorites are Clapton:Unplugged and James Taylor's Greatest Hits) sound incredible. I don't think you can go wrong with either speaker. Good Luck.

I want to thank all of you for your help and insight. I have spent many hours on the net looking at you suggestions. Thanks for not making me feel like an oaf. The sun returns to us here in 6 days. It will be a welcome sight. I should have my mind made up by then. This is a great resource for someone like me. Thanks to all...well almost all. Minus40, I appreciate your sense of humor but I would have appreciated your genuine input even more. Peace,

Olga - You definitely need some great speakers to get you through those long dark winters!