i've been hearing such good things about Klipsch speakers. Seems a lot of people have them for HT. How would one who's them describe there sound? Bright, Big, etc.....

Also, are they still a great value even though you are not buying them direct like Axiom or Aperion?

I would describe them as having a big sound to them,but I also feel they can capture the subtle nuances of music too,some people might say they are bright sounding,I feel you get out of them what you put in.I was using a yamaha rxv2500 which some say is a bright reciever before I got my 990, and it sounded great.I might be a little bias, as I have owned klipsch for over 25 years.

I'll have to agree with loopy.

My exact take is that they are clean and don't compress until their limits are reached. Even at that point they are still clean and only start to compress the signal. I have only owned the older models (those with passive radiators) and the mid-bass is excellent. What I've heard from demo's in stores carries along those lines with the newer speakers possibly having a more laid back mid-range and better imaging. Of course that could be due to the room treatments that were in those rooms.

Service is great (in my experience) and pretty knowledgeable about sound, cross-overs, etc. in general.

You should give the Ref line a listen, you'll either love them or hate them with a passion.

If I may chime in again, I have the previous generation reference and I also have A set of heresy's that I have owned for 25 years,also had some synergy versions but the reference I found to be more natural sounding, just my opinion.

Just my two cents... I own a more recent set of Klipsch speakers (RF 3-2's), and I love them... they started me into my current love and hobby of good audio. I find them to be very clean and clear... I tend to hear nuances that I've never heard before, or ever on other systems. They are extremely good at vocal performances and any music with a lot of brass (Any opera is amazing through these...) what else... All I can say is I love them. My friends love them. My Parents love them (and they don't even care about this sort of thing...) They have caused dinner conversations in another room to Stop as people listen to the sound coming from them...
Now, all that being said, don't go for the lower level speakers... their ref line is what you want. and personally, I think you want their floor towers... Good luck and let us know what happens!