Best speakers for 2000-USED

Well I don't have the room for magnapan's so I'll have to cross them off my list. I'm still left wondering as to which speaker(s) in this used price range are the best at my main priority: imparting a real sence of precenece. A BIG LIFESIZED presentation in 3D; that startlingly real effect. Piano comes to mind as an example, I seem to always hear a piano recording, sometimes very well done, but I've never gotten a sense that a real piano was in the room with me.
I'm thinking now of taking a weekend trip to somewhere, where I can audition as many of the suggestions I've gotten as possible. Maybe a little 3-day vacation/speaker hunting expedition. "Keep those cards and letters coming folks"

Thanks to all,

A pair of Hales Rev3s have just been listed here on Audiogon. I have a pair and I liked them better than PSB Gold I's/B&W CDM7se. I'm driving them with Citation 5.1 in bridged mode. The only drawback is that Hales is no longer in business. Replacement drivers are available thru Madisound though.

Pops is right on. Thiel 3.6's are THE used speaker bargain. One thing to keep in mind is that you have to be careful about buying something that's going to have some parts availability. Hales are great speakers (I just picked up a used pair), but now that they're out of business and their ultimate fate is in question, they're a risky proposition. The Thiels reproduce a piano better than ANYTHING in this price range. Acoustic guitars, female vocals...incredible. Low end is deep and very tight. Acoustic bass is woody and palpable. And, when you're in the mood, they'll rock pretty hard. Impedance drops down into the 2ohm range, but your amp is a GREAT match. Bi-amp would be terrific. The 3.6 is still a current model which lists for $4450, but can be found used for as little as $1700 here on Audiogon. Plus, if you ever need service on them, Thiel is going to be around for a long time - And their service is first-rate.
Bottom line is that there are a TON of great speakers out there. You just need to find the one that "does it for you". All that we can do is offer suggestions to point you in the right direction. But if you're going to buy something w/o listening, stick with something that'll have some resale value (ie. demand). You may find a great deal on a "lesser" speaker, but odds are good that you'll have a hard time selling them if you're not satisfied. Hence, something like a Thiel 3.6, Vandersteen 3A, Dunlavy SCIII, etc., will allow you to experiment w/o getting burned. Have fun!!

Don't buy Thiel 3.6s i owned them for 7 years. I loved em till i tried other speakers and heard just how bad they are. Without any doubt in my mind the absolute best speaker to buy in this price range is the Merlin VSM SEs with BAM there was a pair on here for 2400 a few months ago. They are so much better than the thiels that its disgusting. I'd take the merlins over the CS 6s. They are simply wonderful and no i dont own merlins, I have a pair of talons for myself. But they are above his price range.... I hope this helps.

The Merlins probably wouldn't be a good match for his electronics. With a 90+db sensitivity, his Citation amp would make gain adjustments VERY sensitive. Also, he specified his budget to be $2000. Even if he could find a pair for such a low price, it would still be 20% over budget. Besides, one of the most critical factors in achieving good sound is matching components (which I think the Thiels would do nicely). Finally, if you didn't hear the Merlins using the same electronics in the same listening environment as the Thiels, then you don't really have a good reference point for a fair comparison/analysis.