Best speakers for max. $3000?

ATC40 speakers ?

@russbutton, yes, with a little skill and patience and plenty of time, it’s difficult to beat the DIY route for value for money. Those Linkwitz designs are giant killers no doubt.

The LX521 is the end result of a fantastic amount of R&D, and close to the SOTA but beyond my current capabilities. But who knows, one day?

Buying used or direct are still far better value than buying new although a lot will depend upon resale values. Of course you might never want to sell your speakers but it’s still reassuring to know that you can recoup most of the cost anytime you want to. 

Yes, "Spatial" are realy special, you must hear them, for the $ ... Wow ! Realy impressively musical immersive.

I've had a pair of the Ohm 1000's for about 8 years, and totally love them.  I started out with a pair of the Microtalls, and was so impressed I upgraded to the 1000's.  These speakers make me look forward to listening to my music.  The 1000's go for about $2000.00 for a pair.  Check out some of the Ohm threads on this site to get an idea how people feel about them.  You can audition them for 3 months, and if you don't like them you can send them back but you have to pay shipping.  It's the best chance I ever took.

@cd318 

The Linkwitz LX521 is showing up on the used market now that it's been around for a while, as are his earlier Orion design.   The problem for most of those is shipping.

The hardest part of building any loudspeaker is making it look good.  The LX521 may be close to SOTA, but nobody will ever call it good looking.

Any competent cabinet maker can knock together either the LX521 or Orion designs with ease and make them look as good as anyone would care.   One option for the LX521 would be to have it painted at an auto body paint shop.  Cabinet fabrication can be done by professionals for a very modest amount of money.  Both of these designs are trivial for a pro to build.

ANYONE can stuff drivers into an enclosure, and even if they're not sure about that, shouldn't have all that much difficulty finding help.   

The only real downside to DIY systems is that they have poor resale value.   Not being a commercial product, they just don't have that cache.   But because you spent so much less to begin with, you're not going to lose as much either.  That $25,000 loudspeaker you bought 5 years ago will only bring $12,500 today, which is why Audiogon is in business.

But you are correct in saying that DIY isn't for everyone.