Lots of great choice in speakers for under £20k, particularly if buying used (amps are another animal altogether). That said, I tried a lot of the brands named above and was underwhelmed by many! Being a married man, the aesthetics were a major factor for me as far as the WAF is concerned, so a few very interesting seeming options such as the Harbeths were excluded. While they were impressive to look at, I found the both the Magico S1 & A3 lacking bass (had been warned about this by the sales staff at the store - I fell for dodgy spec sheets once again). Likewise with the gorgeous Marten Parker Trio - possibly the classiest / most visually appealing speaker to me personally, but I just found them lacking a little oomph. Perhaps it was the room I tested them in, or maybe it is because I built up too high an expectation in my mind, but I found they simply didn't measure up. Electrostats and the like I avoid as I had a very bad (amp-frying) experience with them some time back, so can't comment on the latest Maggies and ML's. Despite their diminutive size, I thought the Wilson SabrinaX sounded fantastic, I was very impressed with them despite finding them to be one of the ugliest speakers around. Wish I had bought a pair in North America before moving to the UK as I find their local prices to be extortionately high (though to be honest, my wife would have probably divorced had I even whispered interest in them as she finds them downright offensive to look at). Some of the large-driver B&W's in the new D4 series sounded good (can't remember the model numbers), though I couldn't get past their odd styling. The Focal Utopia / Sopra ranges sounded fantastic, and ultimately I went for a Sopra 2 as they fit my personal price/ performance/ size/ aesthetics requirements best. Naturally, these factors and their importance differ from one person to the next, so in the end picking a pair of speakers is a highly personal choice. Truthfully, I found the whole process a bit frustrating as it is difficult or impossible to actually properly A/B test many of these together at dealers (at best I've been able to compare products from a couple of brands at a time, but even then there are often significant variations in rooms, treatment etc. that make comparisons nearly meaningless).
