Magnepan 3.7R's are $5500, just a bit above your range. The hegel is 220 W into 4 Ohms. That might be enough to drive the 3.7's. They are worth considering if you have the room to set them up properly. I spent the best part of a year auditioning speakers, and the Maggies beat everything I heard from Dali, Dynaudio, Areial, Sonus Faber, and Theil. Only the Magico V2's and Wilson Sophia III's at about 16-17K arguably bettered the Maggies. I just couldn't justify the price differential so I ordered the Maggies.
My living room is my listening room, and my last two speakers have been Maggies. I really wanted to try box speakers, and hoped the Aerial 7Ts would be my next speaker. They weren't close to the Maggies, and I heard them in the same room with the same equipment on the same day. Don't buy anything in the 3-5K range until you have heard the maggies.
My living room is my listening room, and my last two speakers have been Maggies. I really wanted to try box speakers, and hoped the Aerial 7Ts would be my next speaker. They weren't close to the Maggies, and I heard them in the same room with the same equipment on the same day. Don't buy anything in the 3-5K range until you have heard the maggies.