I was literally minutes from purchasing the Special 40's...

The Dynaudios rock.
the Harbeths croon.

be careful....

ive owned both. I like to rock.
I like the Dyns.

what's your room size?  if you have a small room, i suggest spending a third of your budget, and get a pair of proac tablette 8 reference signatures.  better than the 1sc's; i've heard 'em both in my big room, (as well as tablette 2000's), and the ref 8 signatures are better, from mid-bass on up.  in a smaller room, it shouldn't matter.

in my big (26x38x8.5) room, they were crossed at 60hz to vmps larger subs, and it was amazing what room filling sound i got - it remained clean even at way-loud levels.  in a smaller room, subs would be optional.  (for most folks, that is - even in a small room, i'd have a pair of subs; not necessarily as large as my vmps' - which you could afford, if spending ~$1k on the monitors. in fact, i'd choose subs/monitors over only monitors any day, regardless of budget and room size.)

doug s.

I recently heard an original LS3/5a (15 ohm) in a direct comparison with a current ProAc Tablette.  Both sounded very good.  The Tablette had a more open and extended top end, and in that sense, it is more comparable to other "modern" speakers.  The old Rogers BBC monitor  LS3/5a (it was actually bought from a BBC auction) has a more meaty, full and dense sound.  If I had to pick between them, I would go with the older model. 

This past weekend, I heard the latest Harbeth P3ESR, but not in comparison with anything else.  It sounded quite good too.  These tiny speakers are quite amazing.

I really appreciate all the responses here. A lot of food for thought. While still ever-so-slightly leaning toward the Dynaudios, whichever I choose are going to share a room with Spatial M3 Turbos and be primarily for more late, intimate sessions. Not going to rush this. Definitely going to give the Harbeths another listen. Man, I would love to see a shootout between the P3ESR and the Falcon Gold badges. Also, whoever posted about the LSA-10 Statements, you got my attention. Wow, those look nice.

Special 40's with speaker stands and a small hi quality sub have an amazingly big sound with great musicality.  Image like a mifo...go 40's!