I must've missed the action on this thread. It looks different now. Mr. HT, You appear to have made a distinction between what you consider "home theater" speakers and "music" speakers. Would you please share what that distinction is and what you're looking for in a speaker system?
Most traditional manufacturers make speakers for music first, and then add surround options to the range. I'm thinking of brands like B&W, Dynaudio, Focal JmLab, KEF, Linn, Naim, Tannoy, Totem Acoustic. Of course, some of these brands introduce HT-specific ranges, such as KEF's KHT series.
It's more unusual for a brand to specialise purely in HT series speakers (such as M&K do for example).
I bought a pair of Onix X-LS (online at $199) in maple for my office to go with an Outlaw RR2150 stereo receiver. They are the best $200 speakers I have ever heard. Probably wasn't a great idea to have them in my office as I get drawn into the music, rather than concentrating more on my work.-
Heck, they would make very good speakers in a surround system with a good subwoofer or in any small to medium room.
Someone on this site recommended Ascend Acoustics 170 Se speakers for the fronts and hsu subwoofer. See their website. I bought both of them (12 in sub) for my home and WOW! I can tell you I bought them site unseen and it sounds fantastic. I like to listen to music primarily...just like you. This set up cost me $890 and that was for a very big sub. I can say that it sounds more like a $3000 set.
