It would be very hard to find anything comparable to the AV-3s at that price. They have a nicely extended bass, clear but not fatiguing treble, and, best of all, very smooth mids. I had a pair for a couple of years before replacing them with LS9s. For under $500, someone should grab these.
Scott
Oh yeah, did I mention that in these kits, the tweeters are usually hand matched by Danny?