stuck in quagmire of speakers,someone pull me out

The best choice is to go and listen. Choose a couple that you like and then go for an in-home audition.

If you're buying any of these sight unseen, then I'd reluctantly recommend the B&Ws simply for the reason that they'll hold the most value should you decide to try something else. I don't, however, think that they'd be a good match for your system.

You really need to listen. Also, I can't help but notice that almost all of the speakers are British. Coincidence?

You should probably add a couple of Canucks to the mix - Try PSB and Paradigm.

Try ProAc,Spendor,Dynaudio and Vienna Acoustics too.

I agree w/the previous posts. You really should go out and audition (perferably in your own home) and see which will float your boat. You'll need good stands as well. (Consider Atacama Nexus 6) You can read reviews on www.ecoustics.com and www.audioreview.com to get a sense of others experiences/impressions of various products. Good Luck w/your quest.

Hate to enlarge the list...Castle,SPendor,Sonus Faber...all available used from time to time...cheers...also...the B$W 601 is a great little speaker too...