What Is the best pair of speakers under 3k??

RTP,

You are describing my exact experiences. I have recently been speaker shopping about 12 years after I purchased my current speakers and was pleasantly surprised about the quality of speakers in that price range. I also was impressed by the Aeon and 2.3, I also really liked the Snell XA 60 and the Aerial 7's. Those are the speakers that have made by first cut.

I was also surprised at the sheer professionalism and salesmanship of three dealers and bemused at a three others. I went to one shop which sold Legacy as its high end speaker, but didn't have an amp to demonstrate any speakers.

I received a lot of solid advide and good salesmanship at other dealers.

Richard Bischoff

BEST ? well that's got to do with your taste, system and cash flow. Totem Forests, Proac D-15, Chesky etc etc for starters. Confusion over what to buy/audition is what high audio is all about. You will find you can live with most speakers in the 3K range but you might never be happy. Good luck....

Also look into Harbeth and JM Reynaud. (Don't be fooled into size.)

As Kthomas has already mentioned above, your budget will allow you to consider the Vandersteen 3A speakers, which retail new for $2800. If you are willing to buy used speakers, then you can often find the Vandersteen 3A Signatures (retail price $3500) for around $2400 (and sometimes less). At the $3000 point, you owe it to yourself to audition the Vandy 3A / 3A Sig's, even if you ultimately decide they are not for you. (As an aside, the Vandy 2CE, 3A Signature, and Model 5's are all included on TAS's "Recommended Components" list, and the 2CE's and 3A Sig's are chosen as "Best Buys".)

The Vandersteen web site has a list of their dealers around the country. For the dealer list, here's the link:
http://www.vandersteen.com/pages/dealer_dist_intro.htm

You mention Thiel. Why not give the newest Thiels, the CS 2.4s, a listen with your own familiar recordings. Every new model Thiel brings out is reputed to be their best up to that point. Having heard some of their earlier models, I would think they must be pretty good indeed. If you don't require a fine furniture finish, they have a black painted model that is less expensive than a wood veneered one. There are so many models and speakers available and being transducers, your own personal tastes should be your guide, bearing in mind that a good number of companies seem to think that flat frequency response into the listening room can be compromised and that the sound will be better. Sounds like a strange concept to me. Also keep in mind resale value: established brands with a good reputation for sound quality normally can be resold or traded-in without losing a lot.