Best speakers under $500? Fire away!

34Dean - 

About 10 years ago I picked up a pair of Bowers & Wilkins DM604s locally on Craigslist for $250 (a steal).  They were absolutely amazing speakers, particularly for the money.  They are 90db and I recall having powered them w/ a 100WPC Denon AVR at the time and that was plenty to fill a large room.  If you can find a set locally at a good price, they're going to be pretty tough to beat for under $500.

BTW - It's a 3-way floor-stander w/ two 7" woofers and are good down to 30Hz.

Greg

Your rebuilt 3020 should not have any trouble driving 6ohms 86db as you listen to normal levels. The 3020 was renown to drive difficult speaker loads. That’s what made it a best seller. I have had the 315 driving such loads and it was just fine (before the pre-amp section started to short... but that one was a cheap made in china).
I would definitely not limit my search by speaker efficiency if the goal is not too reach the highest db possible with the given amp. But I agree, the 3020 would be a bad choice to drive MMGs or, given the specs and reviews, the Elac.
Also, keep in mind that you can try for 30 days and return if it does not fit...

B&W 685 and Monitor Audio Bronze 2 are safe bet very easy speakers to drive with excellent sound, The Infinity are very medicore speakers I wouldn’t touch them at all .

I can catch a great deal on Monitor Audio Bronze 1 speakers.  Is there a noticeable upgrade in the 2's?

The Bass in the 2’s is more deap and tight, better soundstage as well .However the 1’s are very good  too if you can’t afford the 2’s.