I'm in the market for a system for the same application. I was originally going to go with Goldenear Triton 2s, but I think Pro gear offers a better value.
I'm going with either Genelec 8030C + 7050c or Neumann KH 120a + KH 750...with a Topping balanced DAC...I'll wait till xmass and see what I can get on a sale
I'd say you can't go wrong with either. Regarding neutrality I prefer the Neumanns.
I'll save about $1200 on the speakers alone and no longer need an amp, for a cleaner setup...spend some of the saving on room treatments
I'm 50+ and I doubt I can really tell the difference between a very good system costing $x and an great system costing $10*x...
Depends on x. But in the highend department I auditioned a few pairs costing between 30.000 and 180.000 € this year. Only one (Sonus Faber Aida) delivered an SQ comparable to my setup for a tiny fractional amount. Biggest disappointment were Martin Logan Renaissance ESL 15A (totally overblown bass, and the ML rep did the demo
) Not as bad were Focal Grande Utopia - but too much bass and missing precision in the image did not convince me - not that I had the money to buy them in the first place. The McIntosh XRT1.1K had good sound but only starting with a listening distance of 6 m or more.
Of course, these are my private personal opinions, so take them with a bucket of salt. You have been warned.
With regard to reliability of the electronics, if I recall most electronics follow and exponential curve, meaning if they are going to fail, they fail early in their life...more likely the cone materials will fail years from now...
Both Genelec and Neumann are pro companies and sell to pro customers. Reliability is probably at least as important as sound quality. And in case something goes wrong both makers are able to fix them. This is also important for pro customers.