Thf,
If "best value" is the most accurate CD sound reproduction at the lowest cost for a large room, then I have to agree with your suggestion.
Any professional who works in a recording studio will confirm that the ATC SCM 100A is one of the long time respected work horses of the industry. These speakers are very well known for accuracy and producing both low and extremely high SPL's with consistency, at extremely low distortion levels. There are also other pro speakers used in studios that you might consider.
You have only one drawback in your bare bones choice: The inability to tweak treble or base to adjust for your room.
However, if "best value" is reasonably good sound reproduction at a reasonable price then I think you can do extremely well for less than $3K, as several have pointed out on these boards. Contrary to other posts, however, I believe that in the digital IC world of today, it is by far the speaker that remains the most critical component and where well over half of my budget would go in any system at any price. You seem to be prepared to spend a lot on the speakers - to me this is a good sign.
See this presentation is from a pragmatic professional
http://signal.ece.utexas.edu/seminars/dsp_seminars/01fall/AudioMyths.ppt
The professional's advice (not mine) is:
Buy CD players, amplifiers, and other electronics based on their feature set
Speakers improve markedly up to around $1500/pair
Spend time setting up your listening environment for best results
Use 12-gauge to hook up your speakers
Use good co-ax for interconnect
Avoid tweak items such as rubber feet, cones, black boxes, esoteric cables, power cords, and line filters
If "best value" is the most accurate CD sound reproduction at the lowest cost for a large room, then I have to agree with your suggestion.
Any professional who works in a recording studio will confirm that the ATC SCM 100A is one of the long time respected work horses of the industry. These speakers are very well known for accuracy and producing both low and extremely high SPL's with consistency, at extremely low distortion levels. There are also other pro speakers used in studios that you might consider.
You have only one drawback in your bare bones choice: The inability to tweak treble or base to adjust for your room.
However, if "best value" is reasonably good sound reproduction at a reasonable price then I think you can do extremely well for less than $3K, as several have pointed out on these boards. Contrary to other posts, however, I believe that in the digital IC world of today, it is by far the speaker that remains the most critical component and where well over half of my budget would go in any system at any price. You seem to be prepared to spend a lot on the speakers - to me this is a good sign.
See this presentation is from a pragmatic professional
http://signal.ece.utexas.edu/seminars/dsp_seminars/01fall/AudioMyths.ppt
The professional's advice (not mine) is:
Buy CD players, amplifiers, and other electronics based on their feature set
Speakers improve markedly up to around $1500/pair
Spend time setting up your listening environment for best results
Use 12-gauge to hook up your speakers
Use good co-ax for interconnect
Avoid tweak items such as rubber feet, cones, black boxes, esoteric cables, power cords, and line filters