Considering the Rule of Diminishing Returns.......

Energy C-9 speakers are indeed an excellent value - good call Tim! BUT, if you really dig the Aerial sound, think about a pair of Aerial Model 5 speakers (will you be using/do you already have a sub?) with a Vandersteen 2W sub. Very close to the 95% performance/50% price parameters that you have set. Happy hunting!

Check out the PSB Stratus Goldi speakers (approx $2,500 US$). They are a three-way tower featuring 10", 6" and 1" drive units. These speakers are accurate, musical and of very high power handling. Bass extension is impressive, staging and realism are really very good.
Strangely, they work very well with good (higher-power)A/V receiver's and surprisingly, shockingly better with very high resolution/higher-end seperates. They ARE NOT room/placement fussy (although placement further from room boundaries results in cleaner bass), are very well built/constructed. A perfect speaker for HT as well as 2-CH stereo.
Give em a listen, I have not heard anyone who did not really like them!

peter jasz

I'm going to assume that you've listened to a lot of speakers and have decided on the Aerials because you really like the sound, and your only indecision is the $$$. I don't own Aerials, but I'm going to encourage you to buy what you love, and if that's the Aerials, go for them. Keep them for 10+ years and you'll never regret it. Aerial makes a great product, and while it's a lot of money, over more than a decade, it's not a lot of money. And, with speakers that nice, my guess is that you'll start listening to a lot more music. You're visiting Audiogon, so presumably buying used is a possibility - I'd certainly suggest it. You'll save a lot, and if you decide you screwed up, you can get most of your money back. Some other really good options, IMO - a pair of Dynaudio Contour 1.8's with the matching center can easily be had for <$3K used, maybe even $2500 if you shop hard. Dynamite sound (I am a Dynaudio owner/lover). And, if you're really convinced that HT will remain 80% of the use, I highly recommend NHT - they make a really good dual-purpose speaker, they're high value, you can easily find them used or heavily discounted new. -Kirk

Check out the PSB Silver i's - you can find great deals on the net. The reason I mention them is that a previous poster mentioned the Golds, which I used to own before I bought my Aerials. The Golds are in fact very placement sensitive (very heavy bass - in a 14 X 21 room I had to have them 6 feet out from the back wall to get accurate bass response). But, for the money, these are awesome speakers. The silvers have the same sound and easier placement. While I love Aerials, which I still use, after you buy them you may realize how good they are and want to upgrade your electronics, and have then started out right at the beginning again (debating about more $$). Aerials like power - at least if you want over 85 decibels in a medium sized room. If you do go with the Aerials, don't count out the model 6's. The 7's cost a grand more for 6 or more Hz which you may make up with a sub anyway, and then some. If your room is less than 300 feet squared the 6's may work better, and for home theater you may not want them out far from the wall (and the TV), for which the 6's are better designed than the 7's.