Speakers for 18x24 HT

budget?

Have you auditioned some speakers?

For dedicated HT, why not use speakers similar to movie theaters? Take a look at pro cinema speakers from JBL as well as those from M&K and Klipsch. I've heard JBL and M&K in dedicated HT rooms and both were fantastic. Your budget will allow for some good stuff!

For something affordable, you might look at Chase Home Theater, I think they could set you up with a sound system resembling that of commercial cinemas for less than 5k. Aperion has the Verus Grande set, that looks very nice and should perform very well, although it would be a shame to hide them behind a screen. Look out for some Klipsch THX stuff on the used market, that would really jam behind a acoustically transparent screen. I would not get subwoofers from Klipsch or Aperion though, but Chase looks to have some very high value subwoofers available. Some other decent sub manufacturers are Elemental Designs, Hsu Research, Rythmik subwoofers, Epik subwoofers, SVS, and Outlaw Audio.

With your kind of budget, don't be afraid to buy and sell some stuff.

If you find something on Ebay/Craigslist/Audiogon close enough to audition...there is no harm with buying a pair of towers and blend in as you go. Nothing, and I mean NOTHING beats a pair of speakers in your room and seeing what the reaction is between them and your room.

You may find a Dali, that while on paper, seems like it would be the best thing since sliced bread...but in your room, cause of some funky layout...might cause a buzz in your HVAC vents. I had an Apogee speaker set that in one particular room would cause an absurd resonance that even the cat didn't like. I also own a pair of Cerwin Vega D9. I lived in a house 15 years ago that they would trip the garage door. The door didn't sit quite right when down, the vibration they'd cause would shake the "something is there sensor" and make the door go up.

So in short(and not like you'll run into anything too funky), try some speakers out at home. When you have a good budget and "nothing set in stone", give yourself the time to find what works...