HTD Level Three tower alternatives

I am still in the return period for my Pioneers (FS52) and not quite happy with the way they sound for music but very happy with HT. I can see myself upgrading in a few years, but would rather just upgrade now and save money overall. I have been eyeing the HTD Level Three towers. HTD is having their anniversary sale and I was about to jump on it when I thought I should find out about the competition (and how it stacks up). Sadly, if HTD offered free return shipping on the towers, I wouldn't even have bothered checking.

I live in an apartment where the living room is 14'x20' and the TV is 10' from the couch. I have a sub (Klipsch RW-12d). Usage is primarily HT at the moment, but I want to listen to more music (mostly metal/alternative with a smattering of everything else thrown in). I do not really have a firm budget as the original budget was entry level; lets say the budget is a soft $800. I have no problem with ID, but there should be a reasonable trial policy (free return shipping preferred of course).

What are the tower alternatives for the price range and how do people at AVS think they stack against each other? Would these towers be good for music or like the Pioneers and good for mostly HT?

Oh, and is a center necessary with the towers?

From HTD (emphasis added).

They do not return ship the towers and I am sure the return shipping on that must be expensive (2x50 pounds). As I said, if they return shipped the towers, we wouldn't be having this conversation.

How does the Arx A5 compare to the Level Three towers?

I know that is true, but hearing any feedback or thoughts on it would help me decide. For example, I know that Klipsch's are known for being bright. If I audition a Klipsch that is something I will look for so it does not sneak up on 45 days down the road.

Nothing beats my own experience and auditioning, but everything beats no experience.

Aperion's Intimus towers are 2-way and seem to have smaller drivers at 4" (or 5.25" for the 5T). The specs for both the Arx A5 and the HTD Level 3 both seem better on paper...but maybe not in real life?

Arx's description of the A5 sounds like PR speak to me but that might be because I am pretty new to the speakers world.

I would probably be using this 70% HT / 30% music. I know the A5 was designed for stereo music, but it seems like it would be fine for HT? Should I buy a center too (and which one)?

I have come to the conclusion that I will just have to bite the bullet and pay (return shipping) for auditioning some speakers. Other than Arx, HTD, and Aperion, are there other towers I should look at? I would prefer suggestions that are 3-way speakers as I imagine those are better (let me know if I am wrong or putting too much emphasis on it). I am currently thinking about the Arx A5 as it sounds intriguing, no tax (HTD's have tax since they are based in Texas), and designed by an AVS member! I am leaning against the Aperion towers in my range because they are 2 ways; I do wonder if the price is higher due to free return shipping.

I was reading in another thread that for a small room or usage with a sub, bookshelves might be better. I do have the Klipsch RW-12d as a sub, would I get better performance out of a pair of bookshelves for the same ~$800 budget?

Decided to look at a few more towers to see what is out there. Thanks for the heads up on EMP. The e55ti looks nice and EMP Tek has free return shipping (on the Impression line)! Too bad they were out of the towers in "red burl".

Jim Z-I noticed that the stated frequency response on the HTD goes up to 40kHz! Do the highs sound that much better than comparable towers (that you have heard)? I wonder if I can even hear that high...
I also took a look at Focal/KEF since you mentioned them in another thread. The 714 seems to be the only speaker by them in my price range, but I am not sure if they are sold individually (I suspect so) or pairs. Purely based on specs, the Focal's look the least impressive. I took a look at KEF Q500 but the matching center is a bit expensive and all are at the "upper" end of the budget.

I think I am going tomorrow to listen to the Paradigm Monitor 7 and see what else the AV stores nearby in Houston have for me to listen. Any suggestions on audio to bring with me to test out the sound or in-store pitfalls (e.g. setting the brightness/contrast up ridiculously for TVs)?

At the moment I am leaning towards the Arx A5 or EMP e55ti. Although that seems to change with each new speaker.

This is the most frustrating aspect of speakers and one I'm slowly coming to accept.

Over the weekend I went to listen to the Paradigm Monitor 7 but thought they did not really open up until about 12-14' back while the Monitor 9 was better (in general) and opened up much closer.

I listened to the B&W 684 and ML Motion 40s in the Magnolia room at Best Buy. Martin Logan's were clearly much better but also double my desired budget. In the normal part of Best Buy I heard the B&W 683 which I thought was a good compromise of the two above systems. I was really impressed with it but the area was so noisy it was hard to compare.

In the end, I thought about it a lot and decided that the ID products would serve me better for the price. Auditioning brick and mortar brands was fun but not very helpful (except as a basis of comparison).

So I just purchased the Arx A5. In the end, I'm not sure why I picked the Arx. Partly to support Jon Lane (as a member of AVS) even if he does not "need" it. I was also swayed by the fact that I did not seem to find anyone unhappy with the speakers. I guess I am just intrigued by the Arx line.

I want to thank everyone who posted. If I end up not liking the Arx, I'll probably go HTD or KEF and post my amateur thoughts on the difference in this thread.

I decided that I wanted to compare the HTDs with the A5, so I purchased the Level Three towers as well. If anyone is in the Houston area and wants to compare let me know. My room is probably acoustically terrible with tile floors and reflective walls, but it should hinder both speakers equally (I think).