What Is the best pair of speakers under 3k??

You mention Thiel. Why not give the newest Thiels, the CS 2.4s, a listen with your own familiar recordings. Every new model Thiel brings out is reputed to be their best up to that point. Having heard some of their earlier models, I would think they must be pretty good indeed. If you don't require a fine furniture finish, they have a black painted model that is less expensive than a wood veneered one. There are so many models and speakers available and being transducers, your own personal tastes should be your guide, bearing in mind that a good number of companies seem to think that flat frequency response into the listening room can be compromised and that the sound will be better. Sounds like a strange concept to me. Also keep in mind resale value: established brands with a good reputation for sound quality normally can be resold or traded-in without losing a lot.

As the others have said your taste will decide the best for you.But I will throw the Soliloquys in the pile.If you have room maybe the 6.3 fullrange.Retail for $3200.00.B stock 1800.00 to 1900.00.Easy to drive and giving you the flexibility of tubes or solid state amps.Take the extra $1000.00 you saved and put it towards a better front end of used gear, right here on audiogon.IMO B&K is quite a dry amp and lacks musicality.I tried listening to some Vienna Acoustic Beethovens powered by a B&K...it sounded terrible!Good luck!

Rtp0816,

If you let us know what your listening room dimensions? (including height) and listening preferences are? Im sure you will get some really good info so you can better "focus" and "narrow" your search/auditions and you should get a better idea what to look for...

I do like the Revel F30'S and M20's like some of the others have mentioned. But you will need some good power to make them sing.

My vote for best speaker under $3k that I've ever heard is Von Schweikert's VR2. Check them out if at all possible!!