Best floorstanders under $600

Well, I can't speak for the Wharfedale 9.6, but i've had a pair of Wharfedale Diamond 7.3s for ten years. They are good at doing the intimate thing--almost as fast and transparent as an electrostatic, but even though the 7.3 is a mass-loaded floor-standing version, it's pretty thin on the bass, so I couldn't get excited about it. That doesn't say anything regarding what they've done with subsequent generations (the 9.4 is closest to what the 7.3 was). The 9.6 is a 3-way with twin woofers and twin ports, so it probably has significantly more bass than my 7.3's.

I still think you should check into the Canadians--PSB, Paradigm, and Energy. They are all based on research done at Canada's National Research Foundation, and all are reasonably sensitive, have wide, even dispersion, a transparent natural-sounding midrange, and good, extended, clean bass for a given enclosure size.

There is a pair of Sound Dynamics 300Ti on the GON right now for $225.00. I don't know the seller but I know those speakers. I first heard about them in The Absolute Sound mag when the editor (HP) flipped over them. Then I found a used pair for a friend and got to hear them in his system and couldn't believe how good they were for what he paid for them ($350.00)! Do a google search on them and you will find nothing but praise. Good Luck

Big +1 on the Sound Dynamics 300ti! I don't know how many pairs of those I recommended to friends when Audio Advisor was closing out the last production run at $500/pair. Every single buyer (and there had to be about a dozen) I know who bought was absolutely ecstatic about what those speakers brought to the party.

That also says something about how amp-friendly they are. Most of these people plugged them into mass market receivers. For one guy, however, it sparked off a complete system upgrade and overhaul, with new (closeout) Counterpoint electronics, upgraded CD player, new cartridge, etc. I heard the 300ti's at his house and a couple pairs at another house, and they simply sound right with no obvious weaknesses: Smooth even in-room power response, wide, uniform dispersion, frequency extension at both ends with smooth treble and clean tight bass.

How would you say those 300ti's compare to the Arro's the earlier guys recomended?

Upscale Audio is closing out the Triangle Heliade @ $700/pr new. This is a little over your stated limit, but the speaker was competitive at its list price of $1400/pr, so it's worth at least thinking about. It's a good looking, good sounding, easy to drive tower speaker with a smallish footprint. The only real downside in that response below app 40hz is MIA.

Good Luck

Marty