Thank you very much for the feedback.  I completely forgot about the imaging and soundstage!  I will not use them for movies, but I agree that with four speakers (A and B channel) it would sound odd.  It will be like having competing artists at the two sides of the room.  It would not make a difference for some Pop music (for example: why bars have many speakers), but it will for most good music (I am listening now to old spanish bohemian music).  I would still like to keep the impression that the artist is sitting with his guitar next to me in the room.

I am hoping that new technologies (cross overs, materials, cabinets, rare magnets) would have resulted in significantly better sound.  I have encountered different problems with this theory.  First, the speakers sound significantly different in different rooms.  Listening to my old (retro) speakers in my good acoustics room with good music is unfair to new speakers with store set ups listening to crappy pop music.  Second, I have other setups in my house including a Bose system for my tv in the living room, yet I still prefer my old speakers to listen to music.  Finally, I may just be biased and used to the sound of these speakers….

I plan to take my own music to the store next time out.  Any other advice for selecting speakers?  Any good values out there for realistic music sound (e.g. not plastic, or cardboard sound)?

I have a 20 by 20’ room that I have turned into my office/library/music room.  The room has cathedral ceilings that start going up at 3’ from the floor, giving it very good acoustics for indirect sound reflections.

With regards to stands.... I am loosing the floor space as part of the changes in the room.  The new speakers will be located on top of bookshelfs that are lining the two sides with the cathedral ceilings.  They will be about 2.5' from the ground.

Thank you for the NHT lead.   They have excellent reviews.