great little speakers

What will you be using for amplification? Why do I ask? Well, for a speaker that is EXCELLENT and will work well with almost any amplifier, check out the Reference 3A MM DeCapo. It has relatively high effeciency and it has a very simple crossover. It is VERY EASY to drive with any amp over about 3-5 watt/channel. I use mine with a 2A3 amp of 3.5 watts and with a 35 watt tube integrated.

If you are going to spend a lot of money on a nice speaker, you might as well get one that will work with any possible amp (within reason!) that you may purchase in the future.

BTW, the DeCapos are really good and have plenty of low end, so no subwoofer required. I really like mine!

Enjoy,

TIC

Harbeth P3 (which is basically an LS 3/5A design, only better.). Hard to beat, esp. for the price. Definitely better than Spendor.

-Ed

Ensemble Animata

I think that Reference 3A has another small monitor beside the DeCapo that was shown recently at CES.

My favorite small speaker for many years has been the Pyramid MET-7, designed and made by Richard Sequerra, one of the audio "greats". I took them with me when I was teaching in the Far East, and really enjoyed their excellent performance in smaller rooms.

The MET-7's are extremely coherent, with a warm musical sound, and excellent imaging. Sometimes the MET-7's can be purchased used here on Audiogon, but they can be purchased new for $1200 directly from Sequerra. Here is the link to Sequerra's web site, where you can get more info about the Pyramid MET-7:
http://www.sequerra.com/electronics/data/index.html

In addition to the Sequerra MET-7, I also strongly recommend the speakers from PSB and Paradigm that are in your price range. These two Canadian manufacturers make some of the best value speakers (price-to-performance ratio) on the market.