Help with speaker selection, please

I am opinionated!
Since most music is mastered on B&W speakers, I usually recommend that if you are choosing between several speakers, try to always include B&W's in the possible choices. Since you like a wide variety of music, I would stay with dynamic speakers, as electrostats won't give you the "slam" needed for big classical, rock, or rap music.
In your price range the choice, using my advice, is fairly easy: either new B&W802N's or used B&W800's, which can be actively bi-amped to produce one of the "best speakers on the planet" (per Dan D'Agostino of Krell).
Have fun choosing!

It would be helpful if you could give us an idea of the amplifiers you are thinking of.

Also, if you have a cable TV feed, make sure that the cable feed isn't limiting your systems potential by introducing a DC voltage on your AC/system ground.

Can you list the rest of your system?

Wow, that's a W I D E range of speakers you have listed, everything from electrostats to horns to heavy hitters. Each of these designs will have idiosyncrocies that you absolutely MUST know about. For example, I would think the Quad ESL's are probably not going to be dynamic or "punchy" enough to make playstation or rap as exciting as the Talons or Proacs. Yet, I would guess that the Avant Garde's might drive you out of the room with some of the sharp and shrill sounds of the Playstation.

It has been my experience that "conventional" speakers (box, woofer, tweeter) tend to make for the best "all around" speakers. The exotic designs will do certain things better than cone speakers, but they're usually pretty picky about the rest of the system too.

No offense, but your asking about that collection of speakers tells me that you are not sure what "kind" of sound you want. And unfortunately, it is hard to tell what that sound is until you hear it. So, my advice would be to start with a conventional design, which will work with a wider range of music, and a wider choice of amplifiers. To push it into the "opiniated" category, I'm a fan of Proacs and Merlins.

It's me...the poster of the original message. My system consists of a Theta Data Basic II transport, which I intend to replace with a high-caliber universal player over the next couple years. It runs into an MSB Gold Link III DAC, which will be able to upsample my universal player to 24/192. My interconnects are all Kimber Select 1030. My pre-amp is an Adcom GFP-750, which I intend to keep for a while. My amp, a Rotel RB-981, will be replaced with the speakers, as will my kimber 4TC speaker cable. My thought is to get the best amp I can afford for whichever speakers I choose, and also buy the appropriate speaker wire at that time. As I said originally, I run VCR, DSS, PlayStation2, CD/DAC into my pre-amp, as my living situation requires that I have a single, comprehensive system. Again, thanks so much for all the input that's already been supplied, as well as for any further assistance you might provide.--Brian

It may be best for you, if you have the chance, to listen to as many of your speaker choices with some of your favorite music. And then make your speaker choice.

The best amp for the Quad's may not be the best choice for some of the others...etc.

The forum history is a great place to find info on many of these possibilities.