Your short list has clearly selected some beautiful looking aesthetic speakers (Verity, Audio Physic, SF, Merlin etc.) These are all very good speakers and each has strengths and weaknesses. The one strength that they all share is that they all look really impressive (clearly expensive cabinetry).
Most recently, in your thread you state
Now we are getting somewhere....frankly, the ATC's stick out like a sore thumb on this list. As a purely functional box designed for acoustics with little regard to aesthetics, ATC's look quite ordinary and are the least likely to garner admiration from guests or spouse, even if you were to go with an expensive veneer. In private, ATC's may give you jaw-dropping mid range but, from personal experience, they will not even elicit a comment from casual dinner guests and the wife will probably keep them pushed well back against the wall and hidden or out the way.
My aesthetic preference is SF then Audio Physic. I like the pyramidal Verity's least and the Merlin's are a bit more conventional looking than the others ( score lower on the wow factor with guests, IMHO)
Since these are all very good speakers (nobody should be unhappy with the sound of any of these speakers), I'd go with what you will be happiest with in terms of your decor!
Perhaps others can suggest some very good sounding and aesthetic speakers such as Totem's (and not JBL's with 18" woofers)....my hunch is that these kind of speakers may be more appropriate for you and will not lead to regrets later on...
Most recently, in your thread you state
Aesthestics are important to me as well. I want the speaker to disappear in the general decor.
Now we are getting somewhere....frankly, the ATC's stick out like a sore thumb on this list. As a purely functional box designed for acoustics with little regard to aesthetics, ATC's look quite ordinary and are the least likely to garner admiration from guests or spouse, even if you were to go with an expensive veneer. In private, ATC's may give you jaw-dropping mid range but, from personal experience, they will not even elicit a comment from casual dinner guests and the wife will probably keep them pushed well back against the wall and hidden or out the way.
My aesthetic preference is SF then Audio Physic. I like the pyramidal Verity's least and the Merlin's are a bit more conventional looking than the others ( score lower on the wow factor with guests, IMHO)
Since these are all very good speakers (nobody should be unhappy with the sound of any of these speakers), I'd go with what you will be happiest with in terms of your decor!
Perhaps others can suggest some very good sounding and aesthetic speakers such as Totem's (and not JBL's with 18" woofers)....my hunch is that these kind of speakers may be more appropriate for you and will not lead to regrets later on...