First things first. There's so much knowledge, experience, and willingness to help in this forum. Thanks to all, and special thanks to Hawk, Elitefan, G-man. Sometimes it all can make my head spin, but I'm learning a lot, and I keep coming back for more.
Decided on and found an Elite 45 via audiogon, reasonably priced. Should arrive by the end of the week. It's about a thousand steps up from what I'm using, which is a 20-ish yr old Onkyo TX-41 paired with 15 year old Technics speakers. (You may all laugh now, it's good medicine.)
Living room is about 18 x 20. I'm an 80/20 music/movie person. My budget for speakers is about $800; could manage $1K if I had to. So with budget constraints on the one hand, but a desire for a truly nice, rich-sounding system that will keep me happy for many years to come on the other hand, I'm leaning towards being patient and growing into the 45 over time. Getting the best pair of fronts I can afford and leaving the rest for next year. I have seen from many a post, though, that piece-mealing a system together can be a dangerous thing.
Hence the question: I plan to auditon the Monitors(among others),and I understand the Silvers are just great, but I've not heard any discussion about Bronze/Elite 45 matchup. I'm curious because the Bronzes are more in my price range. Can anybody share an experience or opinion? Or suggest other speakers? All thoughts are appreciated. Thanks.