In response to the "are these a good start" question, while I own Aerial 10Ts, I would not recommend them if you must have a high sensitivity speaker. The published sensitivity is 86dB, and although I do not know this to be fact, the value may be for a 4 ohm load. If true, 83dB would be the 8 ohm sensitivity. In either case, they are mid to low sensitivity speakers. This issue aside, IMHO they fill both a large listening space (high power and current amps should be considered) and your other requirements.