Totally overwhelmed (speakers under $5k)

I don’t think he is referring to having research in the name… but the approach and content of the site.

Understand completely.

Just having the research, in the name, sort of implies that they could be doing some research.

If you have evaluated the sound quality of a piece of equipment and a number of their competitors and you have a firm grasp of their performance and you wish to look at pretty charts to see if you can see the reasons for what you heard. I could see that… but not visa versa.

The research that Harmon has done, for instance, showed that they have a correlation between specs and listener preferences.

So one can start with the speakers and find the reasons in specs, or start with specs and select speakers which are worth a listen, or ones that may be better to avoid.

it is pretty difficult to go to scores of shops and try and figure out whether the showroom or the speakers are making a nice sound. And then on top of all that they play what sounds good, so if that is not the same at all the showrooms then it gets to be a lot of variables.

I’ll quote the OP:

Honestly though, at this point I am overwhelmed. Too many brands with too many speakers and where I live there are not a lot of shops to go listen to these higher end speakers.

No kidding ? 😁

I have seen lots of debates on here along with folks that really have their definite opinions. Here are my requirements and hopefully I can gain some knowledge, insight, and direction from folks on this site that have much greater experience than myself.

Most people are confident in recommending what they use. But that experience goes down unless the person flips speakers often.
So it gets personal and subjective.

Somehow/somewhere we went from neutral speakers (to play everything) towards selecting warm amps to cut down the shrillness.
Was this how we got there?

1) I want speakers that are clear and clean with lots of detail.  But I also want to be able to just listen to the music, being immersed without having my ears ringing from the sharpness after a bit.

Start with a warm amp be it SS or Tube.

Try a Carver M500T as your base.

Magnepan 1.7i or 3.7i with a Accuphase E-5000 and your done !

Best Kept Secret

based on maggie’s lasting commercial success and continual improvement, i would hardly say they are a ’best kept secret’... that said, many a high end audiophile spending big bucks on traditional dynamic driver-based speakers haven’t given them a fair chance, and are much worse off for that

notwithstanding their immensely good sound and value, one does need to deal with the placement demands of a true dipole radiator, and their looks...

as for amps, while maggies do make certain non-negotiable demands on the driving amplifier, there are many many out there that can do the job well and sound great doing it

Magnepan 1.7i or 3.7i with a Accuphase E-5000 and your done !

 Best Kept Secret

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPLf7A-PqxQ&t=853s

Per   @ghdprentice:     "This is one of the major challenges… and I think can be a real distraction… highly detailed. I was drawn to detail… but kept finding it got in the way of the music. You can have both… this is typically where lots of money is required, otherwise you get lots of detail and fatigue / high frequency hash… or warm and missing detail."

 --  What you've written above makes sense to me. I'm more in the musical camp if pushed but recall not preferring Monitor and enjoying Sonus Faber much more (at lower cost levels, under 5k). It's hard to get high resolution and musicality/tonality at a certain price point. It's just how it seems to be, then there's the good stuff...

As nice as the Dynaudio Saphhires (ca: 16k, but bought used) were for five years, they were still missing the detail and wonderful richness of tone that the Raidho D2 loudspeakers showed me were possible (but no head-banging volumes).

But speakers like those were never in a "New Retail" range for me so your point on 'where lots of money is required' is well taken; I just got lucky, and appreciate it. I also like TAD, Tidal, etc. and those aren't free... 

I'm not sure our O.P. will find the 'match' to all the requirements listed, some merely due to equipment interactions. I didn't see heavy metal volumes listed as a requirement, but that might just be missing. Without the need to play very loudly there may be some other small sophisticated speakers that perhaps might apply.

ASR listen with measurements only.

Using “Science” sort of forces something that the quantified and provable.

Not earshot seems very clinical to me and there are things we cannot measure I’m convinced. 

There are also things that we do not measure. And measurements that the manufacturer does not often provide.

• Compression
• Distortion
• Harmonic distortion
• Radiation pattern
• Impulse response
• Step function response 

The ensemble of those things are correlated with what people like and find to sound good. A lot of those people are running similar gear to what people here run.

It is not by shear coincidence that good sounding gear often measures good.
(But sometimes bad measuring gear also sounds good… just it is more rare.)

if someone cannot find a good sounding set of speakers for <- $5k, then they are not looking hard enough. And some people also factor in looks over sound.
(But there are better speakers (or more of them) in the 10, 20 and 30+ k$ range, and many that look stunning as well.)

ASR listen with measurements only. Not earshot seems very clinical to me and there are things we cannot measure I’m convinced. 

 

@holmz They believe that everything comes down to Sinad, THD and measurements.

You like a warm sounding tube amp? Welp you must be a fool because the THD and Sinad are horrible.

I have not claimed that I am not a fool.

They trying desperately to make audio completely objective when it fact it isn’t. They completely discount subjective preference. Meanwhile youll see at the end of his reviews Amir is hypocritical by then injecting subjective terms like ’wow wow wow’ for his DCA stealth review.

I suppose that you can spin it to be completely, and 100%, objective versus completely and 100% subjective as two separate group…

However the work of Toole, Olive, etc has been toward science and quantifying what objectively is correlated with subjective goodness.

So knowing what is resulting in “wow, wow, wow” would be good to know. And then one might fine a $1000 headphone that gets “2-1/2 wows” would be good enough… and a $2000 headphone with “1.5 wows”, is not a great value.

However it is also possible that Amir saw the numbers and that created some of the “wow, wow, wow” bias.
 

Audio is not just about SINAD and THD. This is something Amir and the cult of ASR will never learn.

If I was looking at speakers <= $5000 then I would think that starting with a list on ASR and filter that into two sets, is not a bad approach.

The ones that are in the “listen to it list”, could then be listened to.

I am not going to pretend that understanding compression, distortion, frequency, and directivity are not something that is not able to be heard.,, and that the my ears are better tools for those things than measurements.

It is basically the same as looking in “Car and Driver” to understand braking, acceleration and cornering. Then I go to the dealer to see if the things feel OK.
I do not go to every dealer and look only their red cars.

@holmz They believe that everything comes down to Sinad, THD and measurements.

You like a warm sounding tube amp? Welp you must be a fool because the THD and Sinad are horrible. They trying desperately to make audio completely objective when it fact it isn’t. They completely discount subjective preference. Meanwhile youll see at the end of his reviews Amir is hypocritical by then injecting subjective terms like ’wow wow wow’ for his DCA stealth review.

Audio is not just about SINAD and THD. This is something Amir and the cult of ASR will never learn.

I don’t think he is referring to having research in the name… but the approach and content of the site. If you have evaluated the sound quality of a piece of equipment and a number of their competitors and you have a firm grasp of their performance and you wish to look at pretty charts to see if you can see the reasons for what you heard. I could see that… but not visa versa. 

Whoever recommended ASR... facepalm. Please stay FAR FAR away from that site. It is horrible.

How so? @smodtactical 

There are many brands with use research in their name, which implies at least the possibility of science.

ARC, QR, SR, GR and probably others.

Whoever recommended ASR... facepalm. Please stay FAR FAR away from that site. It is horrible.

Alot of possibilities. Tyler acoustics has a speaker designed by gr research...his value is insane. Hatbllrbeth...mm de capo ref 3a...so many. 

For anyone else looking in this price bracket I can say that the Audio Solutions Figaro M impressed me a few years ago at an audio show. I also like Fyne and think F501 SP is in the same price range.

@ghdprentice:

Yes-- I consider myself fortunate in that detail was never one of my top priorities. 

The Hegel H390 provides plenty of detail for my needs while the slightly rolled off top end keeps the fatigue at bay.

I worry the OP's want-list is unrealistic, considering his budget but I'm no expert. 

@stuartk

+1

This is one of the major challenges… and I think can be a real distraction… highly detailed. I was drawn to detail… but kept finding it got in the way of the music. You can have both… this is typically where lots of money is required, otherwise you get lots of detail and fatigue / high frequency hash… or warm and missing detail. 

Achieving highly detailed sound that is not fatiguing can be challenging. If this is a "must", I'd suggest you not buy anything you cannot return. Compile a list of brands offered by Audio Advisor, TMR, Music Direct, etc. and research which of their offerings offer the type of sonic presentation you might prefer.

1) I want speakers that are clear and clean with lots of detail.  But I also want to be able to just listen to the music, being immersed without having my ears ringing from the sharpness after a bit.

2) I want to be able to plug them into my current preamp and solid state amp and be able to enjoy them as is.  Later on, if/when I decide to change the amp to a tube amp, I want them to be able to work well with those characteristics too. 

3) I want the new price to be limited to $5k and under.  

4) I listen to all sorts of music so it needs to be able to switch between rock, heavy metal, classical, jazz, hip hop, bag pipes, and everything in between.  

5) Subwoofer is optional. 

7) Size can be whatever... The room is roughly 14' by 24' with 9' ceilings.  While it isn't an auditorium, it isn't just a small room either.  

KEF LS50 Meta + sub.

Very, very detailed and clear with big soundstage, but they do a good job at taming the highs.  As long as you do not listen LOUDLY and need slam in your fairly large space.  I have gone through my fair share of well regarded speakers in the $5k-$15k range, supported by 5-figure electronics, and the LS50 Metas do some impressive things better than all of them. 

Also way under budget!  Will leave you money leftover to upgrade/try something(s) else.

PS  Stay the hell away from ASR unless you enjoy looking at graphs over listening to music.

I was in your shoes (overwhelmed with all the brands a year ago. I tried 6 different speakers at home. My budget was 2000. I found a great speaker. What helped the most was speaking to honest local dealers. They steered me towards smaller brands and away from the big ones as they figured out what I needed. They let you take home demo speakers, and learn about your own preferences. 

Every dealer has a few select brands so you will probably need to visit a few. If there are none nearby, Crutchfield and Safe and Sound have great return policy.

I started on craigslist but these days it's not very productive

Get a pair of Goldenear Triton 1r and you're in business.

Underwood HiFi sells LSA speakers direct. Great reviews and great prices

Also, I saw a pair of Emerald Physics 4.8s in the classifieds yesterday MSRP ~ $5000, but asking < $2000. I have the 3.4s (same speaker but sans 15" woofers) and I love them.

Used Dali. I’ve had MS4s and currently have Epicon 6s. Excellent speakers. I put my Epicon 6s up for sale but came to my senses. It took one guy asking questions about them to change my mind.

My modded Revel F208s are awesome.  They are resting now in deference to my new Spatial X5s.  I am certainly willing to part with those awesome sounding Revels.

Thank you to everyone who has replied.  There has been lots of fantastic information here.  I'm around Portland, OR and there are only a couple of higher end shops around that I know of.  I honestly have no clue about a club or anything.  

So taking some of the advice I ended up getting a pair of LSA 20 Statements, an Audio-GD R28 DAC/Preamp, and a Silver USB cable all together under my budget.  This is letting me replace not only the Emotiva speakers and preamp, but also my Drop Grace DAC and 780 Headphone amp powering my Dan Clark Ether CX headphones.  Effectively great simplifying everything.  

Walter at Underwood HiFi was great to chat with and has been very helpful with questions, even after I received the items this past week or so.  

Now, for the equipment itself.  Everything was received fairly quickly and in proper order.  The cable is pretty straight forward and is replacing a fairly decent cable I was already using with the Grace DAC. There isn't much difference there.  But as I said, this simplified my system so the USB to optical connector and optical cable to preamp went away.  So did the Emotiva preamp.  The R28 powers my headphones with a 4 pin balanced cable that is locked into place at the connector.  Since I was already using a DAC and headphone amp, sound quality hasn't changed much on that side. It all sounded great before and still sounds great.  My neighbor who is into audio stuff checked out the system and he said this headphone setup sounds better than his which uses a tube amp and $2k cans.  I will freely admit that made me feel pretty darn good.  

As for the speakers, they are still breaking in so I won't say too much at this point.  I will give them the 200 hours Walter recommends and then post a review here.  First impressions though...they are gorgeous and very solid.  They appear to be well constructed and produce pretty good sound out of the box.  I ran them continuously the first 2 days and then during work hours the next two.  The first day I had them directly on my hardwood floors.  The next day I installed the included 3 spikes on each and had them sitting on the little metal disks (so they didn't dig into the wood). There was a slight change to the sound when I put them on the spikes but to be honest I wasn't comfortable with how stable they were at that point since I have kids, dogs, and cats not to mention my own klutzy self. I order some decent sized rubber speaker feet that they are on now.  I have 4 under each speaker so they don't feel quite as easy to push over.  

Even though they are not broken in fully yet, the sound is fantastic.  The copper beryllium tweeters are very clear.  Mids have been clean as well.  And the bass (yes, someone was absolutely correct for calling out my spelling in my previous reply lol ) is good.  I have lost a little punch on the lower end because the system as I was using it before had an RSL Speedwoofer sub along with the Emotiva T2+'s.  The sub's bottom end is around the same level as the LSA 20 Statements but it was powered so my Emotive BasX amp didn't have to push those frequencies and could focus on 80 hrtz and higher. As such, I was probably over-bass'd before and what I have now is probably more accurate for the music. 

My neighbor was again impressed with this setup when I showed it off to him even without it being properly broken in and he is used to his high end B&W's.  I have discovered with this that the Emotiva setup I have is really pretty decent.  I hate the word but the synergy of using a full Emotiva setup (except sub) is actually a thing and they do a pretty good job.  But, what I have now seems to have stepped it up a notch or two. Even more if you want to add in the form over function piece of the rosewood finish...they really are pretty.  

Now, next up for me will be to focus on power and cabling.  My house is newer so I am not dealing with older wiring and I really don't want to have to wire in a dedicated line.  I did order a more audio friendly outlet and will wire that in one of these days probably after I am done breaking my back putting in a patio for my backyard.  I will also get a power conditioner to plug into that instead of my relatively simple surge protector.  Then new speakers wires, rca's, and power cords.  Eventually I will replace the amp as well. The Emotiva BasX I am using only has RCA connectors.  I know when I went from RCA to balanced cables (3 pin) on my headphone setup, sound was a little clearer and more powerful.  I imagine that holds true in this instance as well.  I may get another solid state or I may go with something like a Raven tube amp.  We will see where things take me at that point. 

Thanks again for everyone's input and assistance in my journey so far.  

You probably want something fairly efficient especially if you may want to look into tubes down the road. Honestly if you are stuck on new, Tekton would be a great choice. If you would consider used, well that opens up a whole new world.

Go back a few years and you can get a world class speaker for 5k that will spank almost or maybe everything for 5k new.

I’m doing a similar search for <$5,000 speakers; a bit of a diverse selection I admit. Current contenders are:

• Salk Sound Song3 Encore
• Philharmonic BMR Monitors
• Revel F206 (or 226Be)
• Ascend Acoustics RAAL Sierra Towers

Spatial Audio huh? I’m surprised I’ve never heard of them before. I’m heading off to the internet to see what I can learn.

Those Spatial speakers are sleek af. Wish I could hear them in person!

Of the more mainstream brands (Focal, B&W, KEF, Polk, Paradigm, Goldenear etc.), Revels are definitely some of the best. A $3K Revel speaker will generally outperform a $6K B&W or KEF speaker IME.

There are better speakers but determining the best speaker within your $5K budget will require some legwork with in-store auditions or home-trials. There’s just no getting around that because 99 times out of 100, the flavor-of-the-month reviewer or forum darling won’t meet your expectations. No speakers under $10K do everything great, let alone new speakers under $5K.

The most common deficiency I notice with speakers under $5K is bass quality. Most have ill-defined bass or are lacking in dynamic range. The speakers that do have good bass (Revel Performas for example) lack the top-shelf midrange that you can get from a $5K Spendor or Stirling Broadcast speaker.

One brand that manages excellence in most areas (only real exception being imaging precision and depth) is Spatial Audio. IMO, they are probably making THE best overall <$5K/pair speakers of any manufacturer at the moment.

Hi @ddonicht ,

This is exactly what I thought would happen: everybody will mention their favorite speaker and amp combo and they will be right!

I won’t mention any additional equipment; others have made terrific suggestions. However, YOU will need to listen to as many different systems as possible to have some idea, especially if you are somewhat inexperienced. So, if there are any brick & mortar stores, I suggest visiting them to get some idea of the type of system you want. Also, if there are audio clubs in your area that can be helpful as well!

If you are in an audio “desert” (or in my case, “swamp”) that can be difficult. The only suggestion I can make is to try a well reputed internet store (music direct, audio advisor, etc.) and use them as a “lender” - and return within their trial time paying only shipping and handling.

Research audio mags (online and not) to get to know the reviewers and see if their opinion/descriptions match your own; this can be a guide - somewhat. Gleaning through forums like audiogon, audioasylum, audiocircle, audiokarma, etc., can also give limited assistance on describing audio systems.

Lastly, take your time! Part of the fun is the shopping. Don’t expect to build a system tomorrow.

Hope this helps!

Happy Listening,

- DeeCee 

it is very true that in this day and age, it is harder and harder to actually demo speakers in retail stores, or in home - perhaps impossible if one lives far from a metro center

this is where a community of enthusiasts can help each other and allow friends-to-be to visit their home to hear speakers in room -- otherwise, on forums such as these, it is important that folks learn the vocabulary and language needed to express what they hear, what they want to improve and so on...  even harder for folks who don't have english as a native language... it is definitely a challenge

That site no good for you.

I love my PMC TB2+. Can buy em brand new in your price range I think. I don’t think woofers are necessary, just my opinion. Gl!  Surprised no one else mentions these. British loudspeakers. 

He makes a good point and by doing that you can avoid some expensive mistakes.

Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G loudspeaker - very positive 2022 review in Stereophile:

https://www.stereophile.com/content/monitor-audio-silver-500-7g-loudspeaker-page-2

I too went from review to review for speakers in by budget.  Eventually I purchased a pair and am enjoying them. However recently I watched a video on YouTube where Steve Guttenberg talks about the "type" of speakers that are available and what "type" of speaker sound do you enjoy.  It was a simple explanation and I truly wish I heard this explanation before making my purchase. Some will say duh, of course, however, I never heard anyone explain it so succinctly before.
Not sure if links are allowed, so if the link is removed his video title is 
"BEFORE you buy an expensive speaker watch this video!"

What a great question/post.  Mostly terrible responses.  
 

Dude!  First thing.  Very first thing.  Get your computer out of the system.  
 

Get a streamer.  Research this yourself. YouTube is good for this.  Audiogon is nearly useless for this.  

Ok, you’re overwhelmed and you know what Martin Logan’s sound like. Presumably you like them.  

Because you said you’re overwhelmed, take a deep breath and upgrade one aspect at a time.  Think about priorities (as said above, good advice To figure out what you like e.g. category of speaker). Don’t buy mediocre stuff but instead wait with patience until you can afford and have really considered each component.   
If you buy more than one piece at a time how will you know what you like?  
 

after the streamer, well, it’s most common to start with speakers of course but I’d be tempted to start by ditching that receiver.  
 

ASR has been mentioned. To help remove a little confusion, do not, repeat not take any notice of this 'review site'  They do not review anything, they only measure! This arrogant p..p..person (phew that took some restraint) states that he does not need to listen, the measurements will tell him how it sounds.

A used pair of Vandersteens is definitely worth a listen and will play well with tubes or powerful SS.  IMO they represent great value.

I too recently had the problem of finding a mid-range speaker, under $5,000. My electronics are an ARC Reference 2 Mk.II preamp, ARC PH7 phono preamp, McCormack DNA-1 amp souped up by Steve McCormack, VPI Prime Signature turntable with Sumiko Starling cartride, and McCormack UDP-1 CD player. I like a tube sound but not over-inflated.

The reality of the situation is that I could not fly all over the country listening to all lthe under $5K speakers I'd read about. I had to visit local audio dealers and see what was available in my neck of the woods (L.A.). I decided on Goldenear Triton 2+ which sell for $4500. My previous speaker was an Apogee Slant 3, which hasn't been sold for years. I am super happy with the Goldenear Triton 2+. They have built in sub woofers with accompanying built-in amps. However, I have tried other amps on them, and the woofers take on the signature of the main amp, which pleases me, because I love my main amp. Steve McCormack tuned it to the type of music I lsten to, which tends toward jazz and classical. However, they rock out when I want them to. 

In the end, however, I think visiting your local audio dealers will narrow down the field for you. Of course, make sure they set them up with decent electronics close to yours. At my dealer, the Triton 2+ speakers were being shown in a surround sound room with a crackly amp. They were featuring the more expensive Reference 1. I had them move the speakers to a room where they were fed by decent electronics.

Good luck. It's a lot of work to find good components, especially speakers.

4

We just went through this process. Took a good bit of time and research. We wound up listening to Focal, B&W, Polk, Aerial, Dali, Revel, Kef, Dynaudio, Paridigm, and Sonus Faber. At the end it became incredibly clear that the speaker sound is very influenced by the amp, some so much that the sound was just obviously different. Regardless of amp though, we had to rule out those we found just too 'bright' - we felt fatigued even after just short periods, even with full tubes on them (Focal, B&W, Paradigm, Dynaudio). We liked the Kef and Dali a lot, and felt that with the right amp they would have sounded better. We ended up with Sonus Faber because they were just beautiful sounding. If they are put with really warm amps (like tubes), they do not shine, though some people like that sound. We matched ours with a McIntosh MA352, which is a hybrid. We were stunned at how great that amp made the speakers sound. The MCMA252 was also excellent. Full tubes and monos dragged the higher frequencies down too far for us. Anyhoo, our advice would be listen - a lot. Go out an listen and have them switch amps if you really like a speaker and want to know what else it can do. 

I am a big fan of Dennis Murphy and Philharmonic Audio. Over 20 years, rotated through tons of speakers, including my own DIY. Settled on the BMRs for stand-mount with Salk cabinets. In a larger room, the discontinued Phil 3 also in Salk cabinets.

https://www.philharmonicaudio.com/

Phil 3s go pretty low, but I added a couple of SVS SB2000 subs and I was floored - it made a difference to pure music.

Driven by my own build of a Icepower 1200AS1 monoblocks., MF A308CR preamp.

Still have a residual urge to explore. Keeping it under control. I personally am completely satisfied by the speakers.The amps I suspect add very little. Spent most on speakers..

Sell everything and then start fresh.  Clean up the mental gymnastics.

Determine the correct form factor of speaker for your application and make a choice.  A nice Rel sub with one of the speakers you are leaning towards makes sense.  Don't go too big for the room.  Let your main system carry that intent.

Then get a great integrated that can provide the type of power best suited for the speakers you chose and that sources your music the way you will.  That will in turn reduce the cable needs so you can get something good.

Have fun.  Decisions are never permanent so no worries.

What I do is seek out speakers under 10 years old 

like in the Dynaudio S contour 3.4. The new ones are almost 10 k 

I rewire it , then rebuold the Xover for under $2k 

I have anew speaker the speaker was like new ,and for $2200 even before upgrading sounds better then anyth8ng you can buy today for $5 k you don’t get squat for your dollar everything went up 20 % during this wuhan plague 

buying used now makes a lots sense just pick out quality ,I have done this with several kings of speakers , stock Xover parts truly are not that good unless you are spending $$  $5k you get Solen capacitors or from Taiwan ,I see That in Harbeth s 

in a $4500 speaker $2 caps makes no sense ,when you have clarity capacitors-in the UK -Cheap  is the only word to describe these guys who scrimp.

and in speakers path audio,are great resistors , the new Mundorf Ultra resistors  are even better but need a heat sink which takes up extra room .

just go to humble homemade Hifi capacitor test. To see real Quality Xover caps.

Axpona is still scheduled in Chicago in April. Go listen to some speakers before you buy. Good luck!

-Geoff

Something to keep in mind: Speakers are like people. It's takes a while to warm up to some of them. Don't be frustrated if you buy something that doesn't appeal to you out of the box. RELAX, have fun! Consider buying a used pair of a popular brand that you can turn around and sell if that's your ultimate choice. Did you ever put an album on your turntable and inside 30 minutes declare it's not to your liking?

Is that LP now one of your favorites? Food for thought. Good luck. Joe

As mentioned you should decide what type of speaker design your ears and heart love and then begin to narrow that design field down by really focusing on that style speaker. Two other considerations you should be thinking of; tubes or solid state to drive the speakers and how much flexibility there is in the room where your equipment and speakers will be placed. If your ultimate goal will be driving them with tubes then this will have a big affect on the efficiency of the speakers you chose and help narrow the field down. If the speakers can be placed far from room boundaries or must be pushed up against them will also will have an impact on which model of speaker you chose due to some speakers not performing their best if not allowed to be moved away from room boundaries or require to be placed in the corners of the room. The last part of narrowing down prior to beginning your listening to a specific speaker design is how far will you be sitting from the speakers and since it is an office will there be a monitor on your desk that will act as a barrier between you and the speakers? Will the room be set up so you have your work desk but also have a listening chair specifically set up for down time from your office work or when you need to just read over work?

Systems are so subjective it really depends on what you like and what sounds good to you and your music type. The more you look at speakers the more you will think you need this one or that one. For 2 channel music, I prefer floor standing full range no sub, for movies totally different story. There are many excellent speakers out there under 5K New or Used. I prefer U.S. made so that limits my choices, but still many excellent ones to choose from. I would almost guarantee, whatever you get you will enjoy, just be careful listening to all the opinions out there that will try and change your mind. As for cables, just about any simple one works just fine.

It's very easy for someone to recommend speakers that they own. On the other hand,  you can get into a "Paralysis Analysis" spiral. So first, do a bit of research online to understand the "sound" of each brand you think you could be interested in, and how your amp will influence them. Then, try to audition as many speakers in your price range as possible and let your ears make the decision. Just be careful of the amps used in the demos. You've had several good suggestions above such as Monitor Audio, Focal, Bowers & Wilkins, Sonus faber. Your online research will explain that each company has a "sound" specific to their brand, but understand that some over emphasize one level over the others. Some of the above are considered "bright" and others "bassy". Your amp will influence that as well. But by all means, enjoy the process. Don't just listen. Hear. Don't rush to a conclusion considering that you want to enjoy the end result for a much longer period than your initial search.

anywhere near LA?