GoldenEar vs Dynaudio vs Nola vs ProAc vs Everything else.

With that kind of budget, definitely go ProAc--you won't regret it.

+1 for Vandersteen, and getting subs if going below the Quatro's,
ProAc's are nice, too, but they have a 'European' sound, so it would behoove you to listen to them first. (-though I think they are very good).

This post will probably give you much more info to add to your 'overload' unfortunately.
It really is in your best interest to make as much time to visit dealers, or find other audiophiles in your area to get audition time.
I promise you will find the speaker that 'Speaks' to you.
Bob

Based on your room size and musical tastes you should look at a set of Legacy Focus Se and a set of ATC SCM 40.

The Legacy is 95db efficient, tube friendly, plays rock really well, has thunderous bass and looks great, they also play loud as hell, and Legacy also has matching center channels if you ever want to do theater, and are reasonably priced, they are also very smooth in the top end, and can come in stunning finishs. They are also reasonably priced for a hand made American loudspeaker.

One of the best rock speakers is the ATC SCM 40 augmented with one or two subs for that size room,

ATC is the loudspeaker that most rock recordings were actually mastered on, and in terms of midrange accuracy and midbass punch unbelievably realistic they also have a smooth yet detailed top end and throw a fanastic sound stage, howerver,

they are 85db efficient and requires big solid state if you want them to come alive musically. All the deep bass is good but would require a sub to fill that size room correctly, and they have a smaller sound stage and set of prescense compared to the Legacy.

I find Harbeths to be a bit on the laid back side, as well as the Vandersteens and do not generally like to be played loud, they are a wonderully musical speakers, but not a great speaker if you have a large room and are pro rock.

The Nola is a good speaker but I don’t find them to get really exceptionally until you move into their diapole/ribbon models which are outstanding but pricey.

The new Proacs with ribbon tweeters might also sound good, but you will never get the sheer volume if you like to play loud nor will Proac give you crazy bass volume like a speaker such as the Legacy. The Audio Note speakers are designed for far corner placement and they do not make a center channel nor do they play loud, the Audio Note speakers are a great jazz speaker.

You should consider larger more efficient speakers with more bass to fill up that sized room.

We demo with rock routinely and at loud levels with both the Legacy and the ATC. When you hear rock at realistic volumes on an ATC you will see why studios use them, incredible dynamic range, punch and the most natural midrange over most loudspeakers, in terms of midrange accuracy the ATC is an even better speaker than the Legacy.

In terms of sheer musicality, fun and value it is hard to beat the Legacy’s.

As per bass you actually have a good sized room based on total cubic feel so a speaker which has more bass is desirable. The only issue you may have is a bit of bass boom which is a by product of being too close to rear wall, however, you may be able to tune that out.

For example if you looked at the new Anthem STR integrated which is excellent sounding lots of power and punch good built in dac, for $4,500.00 that has room correction the Anthem room correction is very effective and can tune out the bass bloat nicely.

Even better sounding is the new Micromega M100 a $4500 integrated which also have a room correction module, cost s a bit more than the Anthem with the Micromega room correction system however it is very tube like but with excellent punch so it has a warmer sound then the Anthem which is pretty neutral.

So if you are looking at electronics and speakers the Legacy Signature which is $7k and has a bit less bass and is a bit smaller plus the Micromega $4500 and you would be done, all you would need would be a set of speakers cables at the Micromega is a dac/amp/phono stage, and streamer we have this combo on display and it is fantastic.

So part of the equation is going to be how big a speaker can you get away with, do you play loud, and do you value clarity and detail over tonality and ease of listening.

Also what would be helpful is do you have any equipment currently and what have you liked in the past?

Hope that helps.

Audio Doctor NJ

Golden Ear Triton Reference. Especially as you mention tight spacing. They have a sub-woofer bass control which works rather precisely, allowing you to dial +/- 7.5 db from center.