I was in a similar situation, but had researched speakers for about 19 years. Salk makes about the only speakers that seem comparable, though comparisons are extremely difficult because of all the marketing fluff and lack of any real data or intellectually honest side-by-side comparisons. Nearly every professional speaker review fauns over the product as if it is the greatest thing they ever heard, moreso for more expensive speakers, even those that very obviously underperform (Wilson Audio, ****, B&O)
What sold me on the Sierra Towers with RAAL (part of a 5.1 Sierra/RAAL system) was:
- Bamboo cabinets -- 3/4" bamboo resists unwanted chassis vibration better than 6" of fiberboard, used by almost all other speaker companies.
- Look at the impulse response and waterfall diagrams for the Sierra. First, Ascend Acoustics provides those values, which are hard to come by from all but the highest-end manufacturers; second, Ascend's are almost always far superior to any I can find, even compared to exotic super-expensive technologies like plasma tweeter-based speakers.
I have found that these two metrics represent actual speaker performance better than most. - I read about the founder, Dave Fabrikant. Read interviews, or his own comments on forums. It becomes clear that he doesn't care about being famous, becoming a billionaire, or optimizing costs by shaving off a few grades of component quality that the customers "probably won't even notice" -- he comes across as simply a talented combination of artist and engineer whose passion lies solely in designing speakers that make people suddenly realize what they had missed out on.
I have had the Sierra towers (and Sierra 2's, not the EX), and Sierra Center since about 2014. As a guy that researched speakers from every angle since age 15, let me tell you, these are it. I recently took one apart and I think it may be the first speaker whose construction left me feeling amazed. Everything is built with care. Even the crossover electronics, which most people will never see, are built with authentic pride. In the chassis, the glue is evenly spread, the panels fit together so tightly that it is hard to tell they were once separate parts.
Quick tip though: In my opinion, Sierra 2's are absurd overkill for rear speakers. I'd go with the non-Sierra models, which are themselves so good that it was hard to justify the extra cost for my mains, but then I remembered:
Cars wear out. Electronics become obsolete in a few years. Speakers can last your whole life. Get something truly good.