First round of auditions disappointing

Amandarae,

Good suggestion this design will certainly have a good transient response. I can't help but agree with the quote below from the link you gave (it is kind of obvious that Linkwitz is an engineer and not in marketing).

I have no problem, if people enjoy their music more, because it has passed through a certain interconnect, has been transformer balanced, amplified without feedback, processed through a reissued WW2 transmitter tube and sent to their speakers on litz wires of specific arrangement and purity, except that the money for these suggestions could have been spent on better speakers, for real improvements in accuracy of dynamic range and resolution. After all, the loudspeakers are by far the weakest link in the chain of components that are needed for sound reproduction.

I understand that the Linkwitz Orions are excellent speakers. However, don't they require 6 channels of amplification? And can they be had within his budget?

Six channels will do, but 8 is preferred.

I built my Orions, ASP, cables, and bought an amp for a whooping $3800 plus/minus $100 for the choice of wood finish you want. And that is a conservative figure. Let see, on the top of my head..

Drivers........$1450
Cabinets, Paints, Glue.....$200
Cables and connectors...$150
ASP Xover(includes plans and pcb's, and case) ........$550
Amps...(ATI6012).......$1400
Misc....(saw blades, brush, nails, and shipping expenses etc.)....$100
So that come out to be $3850.

Enjoyment during listening sessions....Pricele$$

Amandarae -- you built the Orion xover yourself?
Wow. You're patient and resilient:)

Seadweller,

I 2nd Boa2's recommendation of Green Mountain Audio speakers & I do this from my personal experience.

Like Boa2 said - their form takes on the conventional box speaker look BUT they DO NOT sound like box speakers at all.
They have superb all-round qualities: Excellent imaging and soundstaging, wide response, excellent midrange, excellent highs, NO excessive midbass warmth, NO slow presentation that lacks pace and transient attack, NO loose bass, excellent total dynamics and punch.
Given that they are 1st order x-over speakers they do compress earlier than, say, 4th order x-over speakers. However, the SPL level at which they compress is reasonably high. For example, in the 3-way speakers I have the woofer compresses at 105dB SPL. I've never found it to be an issue in the 3+ years I've owned the speaker. I usually listen to music on average at 85dB SPL 10' away.

Several of Green Mountain Audio's models would fit your budget - the stand-mount Callisto, the Pico Medeo & a used C3 (flagship speaker). Also, Roy Johnson, the owner/designer is a fantastic person to deal with.

Disclaimer: I have NO (zero) financial or economic affiliation with Green Mountain Audio. I'm just a satisfied customer.