Help Making a Final 3.1 Speaker Decision with $5k Budget

I've been lurking for the last few months as I begin to make my first serious plunge into this hobby. This community has been incredibly helpful in getting me oriented with all of the available options in speakers and electronics. It's been over 10 years since I got my first surround set-up (Infinity RS4 floorstanders, small Infinity center, bookshelf Polk rears) that I still use, so it's time for an upgrade.

So, I thought I'd start the 1 millionth "what speakers should I buy" thread as my first post (followed by many more posts on how to get the speakers set up properly with my Marantz 5006 At the very least I've learned from all of the other speaker threads to audition as many speakers as I can within my budget before making a decision. So far I've heard:

MA RX6
Revel (don't remember model)
PSB Image T5
Klipsch RF52 II
B&W 683
B&W CM8
Kef Q300
Focal 826W
Paradigm Studio 60
Kef R500

Based on these auditions I've discovered I like a warmer sound with a bit of brightness/clarity on the high end. The Klipsch sound was too much, but I found many of the other speakers (e.g. PSB and B&W) to be too reserved or clinical (if that makes sense). So far I like the Focal 826W (out of my budget, but the 826V would work) and Kef R500 the best. They will be used for 75% HT and 25% music, but I'm looking for something that brings me back to spending more time with my CD collection.

So, assuming I like the sound and looks of both Focal and Kef equally, is there any reason to choose one over the other? Resale value, electronics, build, reputation/dependability, placement (has to be near a rear wall), etc.?

Any non-ID (not willing to pay for shipments back and forth) brands worth auditioning that I haven't already?

And finally, any sub recs under $1k? Family room is10ft to MLP and 25ft wide but with attached hallway to other rooms and connected to kitchen (i.e. not sealed off), and a 14ft sloped ceiling. I've been looking at the Rythmik F12.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Thanks for the suggestions, Jay1. I'll definitely consider the larger rythmik sub to fill my space. I don't think a sub pair will pass the wife test, but a larger single sub will be okay.

Haven't heard NHT. Any comments on how the sound compares to Focal of Kef? The Four Floor has a 10" sub built in. Any reason to include this in a tower if I'm already planning on a good independent sub?

Thanks for the suggestions so far. I'll look into the SVS and Aperion lines.

Newbie....Looks like our tastes are similar. Your impression of the PSB, Paradigm and B&W mirror mine exactly.

NewHT....Unfortunately my dealer only has Focal for demo, not Kef, so the only way to do a side-by-side is to purchase the Kefs and then compare with the demo Focals. I could always sell the Kefs if I decide on the Focals. This is an option I'm considering since I got a pretty good price on the Kefs and probably will lose little to nothing in resale. The speakers can be placed ~6-12" from the rear wall. Do you think that is enough room for a rear-ported speaker? I had some MA RX6s (rear ported) at home for a demo and I didn't think the bass was overwhelming even without port bungs.

I considered the Salk. The problem with them, as well as the SVS and Aperion, is size. My current towers are 33" high, and my wife already finds them intrusive in the family room. Getting 44"+ speakers probably isn't going to fly. The Kefs might even be pushing it. Unfortunately there needs to be a compromise between sound and aesthetics, which also eliminates contenders like the Phil 2s. Of course when I buy my next house there will be a dedicated listening room and the bigger the better speakers.

So, it doesn't seem that anyone has an opinion on something objective between the Focal and Kef speakers, except possibly sensitivity? BTW, I have a Marantz 5006 which is rated at 100Wx7, so I assume I'll be ok even with less sensitive speakers since I doubt I'll be anywhere near reference levels while listening to movies or music.

Thanks for the suggestion. Unfortunately it doesn't look like Ascend offers to/from shipping in their 30-day guarantee. I don't like the idea of having to pay $200 in shipping fees if I don't like the sound.

Thanks for this. The center is a big concern for me since this system will be 80%+ HT.

Softdome and justindo...thanks for the recs. I have a dealer about 45 min away that carries Dynaudio, but nothing in my price range. Same price problem with the Focal 836W, though I really loved the sound of those. My budget has to take into consideration our high Cali tax rate, so it's really closer to $4500. So if I have a sub at ~$1000, I need the front three at $3500.

It's been so much fun listening to all of the speakers that I've demo'ed so far; I think of it as my wife's equivalent of a spa day. However, I've been at this for a few months now and need to pull the trigger. Focal and Kef are my final choices. Any reason I should lean one way or the other? The main difference right now is that for the Focal I'll most likely stay with the 726V+center since I can't find a reason to pay for the 826V, and with the Kef it will be the R500+center. It's a pretty big price difference.

I'm realizing that the fun part of this hobby is listening to all of the different pieces and how they contribute to a system. Can't wait to have a dedicated media room in the future and auditioning all of the great speakers that everyone has mentioned. Especially since the next focus will be 2-channel music.