I'm a Maggie lover so that is my recommendation. You will love them and become addicted to their sound. I would get a used pair or new ($2,000),of the 1.7i's not a lot of $ and you can see if you like them. I use mine for HT as well. I have the 1.7i's up front , with the CC3 center, MMG's as side surrounds and MC1's as rear surrounds. It sounds incredible without direction from any one speaker, just surrounded by the sound. You need a nice amp with power for these puppies, which sounds like you already have that Ayre amp. I power the 1.7is with the Bryston 6bsst. Or you can purchase The MMGs for up front which will give you the Maggie sound for only $650 from Magnepan with a 30 or 60 day return policy. You cant beat that! go to their web site. You could use them as side surrounds or return them and buy the 1.7i's or 3.7is, if u have the cash. you wont be disappointed!!!
Vandersteens, PSB or something else?
I’m looking to upgrade my speakers and would appreciate some input. My system includes ayre amp, aesthetix calypso preamp, and vandy 2c sig IIs. The room is relatively large at 23’ wide (speakers on this side) by 27’. I would like speakers that are good at both music and home theatre. I plan to run HT pass through and 5.1 overall. For music, I listen to a lot of classic rock, blues and jazz. Not too much classical. I do enjoy live Dead and Allman Brothers. I’d like the speakers to image well and present a nice soundstage but also really draw me in emotionally to the music. For home theater, I’d like to be able to include a center channel and get a decent theater experience. The vandies, really no complaints, they have served me very well. But I have budget to take the next step and was thinking maybe the Treos. But once I make this next step, I would not be making any moves for a while, so wanted to explore other alternatives as well. The PSB Imagine T3’s seem to have been reviewed well and may be worth a test. My budget would allow for these, and I guess I could possibly go up to the quatro for the right deal. Any other ideas that, given my musical preference, room, budget could be worth a shot? I have to admit, sometimes I do wonder if the live recordings that I’m listening too would really benefit from a big upgrade to the speakers.