1st time buyer: Paradigm vs Revel vs B&W vs ?

Listen to the PSB line if you get a chance. Great speakers for the price, and sometime highly discounted on this site.......

Enjoy,

TIC

Agreed about PSB's - listen to those you've mentioned, but add PSB to the list. They won't necessarily be your choice in this price range, but they are mine.

thanks for the responses - i would have added some of the below thoughts initially, but seemed to have a word limit to the initial post

i have 3 kids 5 and under and auditioning is very difficult. furthermore, having no real experience listening to music on a high end system, i lack any real skills in this capacity. out of time necessity and the realization that i'm not sure i would trust my ears at this point, i am hoping to jump in and buy something soon (i have been reading online for many months)

revel f12s were recommended to me and i was fairly set to buy a pair. there are revel dealers in the area, but neither keep any in stock for me to listen to. in talking to one salesman he explained that he much preferred the b&w and suggested the 683s which i recently listened to. they sounded a damn sight better than what i have, but I'm not sure i want to spend 1500 on them. He spoke poorly of the revels, explaining that is why they do not carry them in the showroom. He specifically stated muffled highs/voices as a concern.

since i am such a novice at this i was hoping to buy something used and grow into it

i appreciate the b&w matrix suggestion, but i am wary of speakers on stands with my three little monsters running around. how much of a concern would that be? would i immediately need a sub if i bought monitors?

The B&W Matrix 804 Is a 3 way floor stander. The 805 is the monitor. I would highly recommend them as I have heard the newer B&W's and they just havent seemed enough better to justify spending the money VS. another component.

$1500 would get you a pair of 804's and a velodyne HGS-12 or other 500-700 sub. I would always recommend 2 subwoofers as it evens things out much better and smoothes the room curves.

You can totally play them without a subwoofer. There typically right about a 800-1000 sometimes a little less.
I just recommended subs because honestly they make life better they just do. I honestly think if you got a nice pair of floorstanders and one or 2 subs it would make your system go farthest toward toe tapping heaven.

Oh you watch movies and TV are you kidding YOU NEED A SUBWOOFER!!!! Get a decent one used and look it up thoroughly before purchasing. I promise you youll thank me. Movies and TV will be 100 times more awesome. Commercials will actually sound cool (its one of the reasons I dont have cable). I PROMISE YOU, FOR MOVIES AND TV YOULL LOVE A BIG HUGE SUB, Probably music 2