Some background information to help you get me pointed in the right direction.

Will be using two different integrated amps. A Qinpu A3 which is an 8 ohm hybrid tube/solid state at 8.5 wpc. And I just bought a Topping TP 21 which is rated at 25 wpc at 4 ohms or 12 watts at 8 ohms.

Currently I have a pair of Mirage OM 10's that work great with the Qinpu but I had to box them up because I have a cat that likes to jump on them. Probably the black sock around it that it wants to climb. Until I can get into a house again and build a listening room that is cat free, I can't use these.

Also have a pair of Castle Conway 3's. The design of this speaker does not mesh with the Qinpu. Midrange is completely gone as the bass overwhelms everything. According to two friends with an engineering background in electronics, the problem is the damping factor of the speaker. I am going to see if the Topping will work with this pair. Arrives today and will try it out this weekend.

In the meantime I need to find a pair of speakers to use with the Qinpu amp. I want to avoid a forward sounding speaker or one that has a bright sound. I can still hear well above 20,000 khz on the high end and a speaker like the Klipsch will hurt my ears. Gave up my Heresy's for that very reason. I want something that is essentially neutral or that has a touch of warmth like Jamo speakers or the older Mirage lines. I won't get listening fatigue from these.

I just tried a pair of Jamo C603 bookshelf speakers and liked them very much. But... Bought them through Amazon and had to return them because one speaker obviously was damaged. Found pink specks of paint on the baffle and a blotch of glossy black paint on the cabinet when the speaker is all flat black. And it sounded like they had already been broken in. No manual either. Billed as new but they seemed to be used.

So, I am back to looking at some other speakers. I could try to order another pair of C603's since there are still some new and used pairs around. Another option is the C803 which appears to be an outstanding speaker for the money. Hard to find but still a pair shows up used or even new at times.

I auditioned the Phase Technology V-4 a few weeks ago and liked that speaker very much as well. While a tad less warm than the Jamo's it had the same wide sound stage and balanced instrumentation where no sonic characteristic over powered any other in the sound field. Very clean sound just like the Jamo's. It sounds like the new V-52 is the replacement for the V-4 but has a bit better bass section according to the manufacturer.

I've heard that the Martian Logan's Moshun 10 and 12 are out of this world for the close out prices. I've ruled out the 12 because the full front grill is likely to attract the cat and also the downward firing port is likely to be a problem for the Qinpu amp. The Castle Conway 3 has this same design and I think it leads to the damping factor that overwhelms the mid range. Not sure if the Motion 10 h as this same design but the front grill only covers the top half of the speaker and since the cat does not jump on the Conway 3 speakers which has a driver cover on the top half of the speaker, I think the design at least in terms of the outward appearance will be fine.

I could find a pair of Jamo E660's or E650's (both towers) used for next to nothing. Also could buy a pair of Jamo C605 towers used. Heard good things about all of these speakers. Not sure how heavy the bass is but I figure as long as they don't have the downward firing port (C603 is a rear port) then it should work OK.

Can I get some insight into any of these speakers from people that have owned them or at least have heard them and compared them to other speakers? Especially if matched with a tube amp. Or if anyone can recommend something else that I may have missed but should look into? Budget is around $400 to $500 a pair either for new or used. Got the C603's for less than $350 shipped and can find similar offers out there again. But I want to explore my options since I have to wonder if QC was the problem with that speaker or the Distributor that sent them to the Seller with Amazon.

Thanks. BTW. Will be using a traditional two speaker system for music, not home theater.