Looking for "realistic" speakers

Yes - please let me know what you're using for whole house surge protection. When my new gear comes in I was thinking of investing in PS Audio stuff. I don't want to trust it to my lower end Furman stuff.

When I say I'm looking for scale, I don't mean floor to ceiling speakers or anything (we're currently set up in a smaller room anyway (15 X 25) but that will change.

I have to say even the Maggie MMX's now that they're breaking in have a nice sense of scale. And I have to say I'm enjoying the speed, sound staging and imaging of them even if it doesn't sound as natural as I'd like (but there's still burn in to go).

Sadly the next step up in Magnepan is already too large for the room (and WAF). I'll return the MMX's even though for $600 I see what everyone's raving about.

There's an audio store that carries Legacy speakers about an hour from my house that I'll be checking out tomorrow. Most of the ones I've seen have been pretty hulking, but hopefully they have more modest sizes that would work.

The weird thing about the insurance money is that if I don't buy any more audio gear they cut me a check for $1000 end of story. OTOH they'll compensate me for any audio gear I buy dollar for dollar up to $15,000.

Sadly I have to confess to the wife that I have no choice other than to buy a new $15,000 audio system or lose money. Needless to say the most ironclad of all possible setups for the audio connoisseur. ;)

"When I say I'm looking for scale, I don't mean floor to ceiling speakers or anything (we're currently set up in a smaller room anyway (15 X 25) but that will change."

OK, I thought you were referring to the "scale" of the musical presentation the speakers were capable of.

"The weird thing about the insurance money is that if I don't buy any more audio gear they cut me a check for $1000 end of story. OTOH they'll compensate me for any audio gear I buy dollar for dollar up to $15,000."

Wow! I've never heard of that, but, then again, I've never had this type of claim. Also, even if your Legacy store doesn't have the Classic HD or Signature HD on hand, I would think they should be willing to obtain one for you to audition, since you are clearly a serious buyer with money to burn!

Oh, also, as Johnny said, check out those Cremona M. I've heard those, and that is a sweet sounding speaker.

With a $5K budget, you have so many great options, and you're going to read lots of great names from the good people here on the forum. Unfortunately, nobody here can help you. I've learned this myself, from experience.

What sounds good in my room, with my furnishings and layout, and my music, to my ears, may or may not sound pleasant to your own ears. Your only move is to not only listen to as many speakers as you can in your area, but try to find a dealer who will let you bring some home and try in your own space. Speakers, more than any other component (in my opinion), come down to personal preference and how your own ears perceive and enjoy the way they are voiced, and the way the frequencies are represented.

Right now in my office I have a pair of Proac D2 sitting next to a pair of B&W PM1. Both fantastic speakers, but you should hear how different they sound. They're vanilla and chocolate, but I never would have anticipated that, I had to hear them side by side for myself. Point being, I genuinely believe that speakers are the one component nobody else can help you with. Again, all just my humble "non-audiophile" opinion.