Looking for All-a-round speaker $3k range

I agree with Mahandave here. I too am a *big* Merlin fan and find them excellent two-way speakers... That said, for Rock and the like, Legacy Audio indeed would be a good place to start. If you have a large room, you may be able to find some original Legacy Focus speaker (not the 20/20 model) for under 3K. If your room is medium sized, some used Legacy Signature IIIs will do nicely.

---Dave

Run, don't walk to buy the Merlin's on audiogon (if you have heard the speaker). I have the MX's and love them. Another suggestion would be the Vandersteen 3A's.

At your price point I think you should really try to hear the new Consonance Eric Grande speakers. I downsized my system from Von Schweikert VR4 HSE III to these Consonance Eric Grande and I can't believe how good they sound for the price and size. They list for $2800 new. I also listen to everything and don't want speakers that only shine on one genre of music. Good luck and I hope you can audition several of the suggestions.

I was thinking about the title "All around" not the specifics of the post. I agree that if you want a pop/rock sound there may be other choices. Vandy 3Asigs with a lot of current are a good "all-around" suggestion, but again, not really a pop/rock speaker. Von Schweikert 4jrs might be a good choice. Used would come in right under that #.

The Revel F30 speaker is an excellent choice.
There are a couple of pairs of these used here on Audiogon.
(Two different finishes to choose from too!)
They run about half of your budget, so you can afford to either upgrade another component too, or you can buy some more software to listen to.

It is a full range speaker, so rocking out will be no problem! (The only caveat is that they are not the most aesthetically pleasing speaker, IMHO.)

Check out the reviews of this speaker here and on Audio Asylum for more opinions and information.

My two cents worth!