Oh brother, am I in desperate need of help! 8)


OK, I've been addicted to audio equipment since I was 15 years old.  Marantz receivers and ESS speakers were my first foray into high end.  Suffice it to say, I've been at this for over 40 years.  I've been to the CES show more times than I can count, and listened to more equipment that I can count.  I've owned everything from Magenepan's, to Martin Logan's, to Thiels, to Von Schweikert's to, well, you get the picture. And I've powered them with everything from from tubes to solid state.

So, here's my quandary.  I just sold what was my dream speaker, a custom Altec 604 system that I spent a fortune building.  They were simply too big for my current home, and I know I'll regret selling them for the rest of my life.  I think my favorite pair of speakers that I've ever owned was a pair of Altec Model 19's.  I believe (I think) that I've moved beyond needing/wanting a system that can play at concert level volumes, but I do want something with a little "get-up-and-go" for those occasions I might want to let the system breathe.  I'm considering going back to a pair of panels.  Today I listened to a pair of Magnapan 1.7's.  I was mightily impressed, but I'm afraid they'll lack the visceral impact and "potency" of a more conventional, high efficiency, cone design.

I really haven't had my head in the game for the last 10 years, so there's a lot of new stuff out there.  I read about a company called Teckton, and despite the positive reviews, I'm hesitant.  There's also the Zu's in the same price range (around $2K/pr.), but I'm torn.  I don't need subterranean bass, as Both Altec systems rolled off at 40hz, and I wasn't really wanting for much.

What are some real stand-out's in the $2,000-$2,500 range (new or used) that I might look out for?  I want a floor standing speaker, not a monitor.  I was actually surprised at the presentation/impact of drums with the Magenepan 1.7's, and the timber of cymbals was eerily realistic, but they definitely compressed when the volume was turned up.  I did make the mistake of listening to a pair of B&W 802's, which were quite impressive, but way out of my price range.

As you can see, I'm in a blender, so any direction would be most appreciated...I'll likely be powering the system with a 150wpc solid state amplifier.

Thanks!
seadweller
Maggies take a bit of driving to get the very best out of them as ADG101 points out - you need a good amp to bring the bass out and articulate the music.

You could try the ProAc floor standing models

If space is a premium the floor standing KUDOS speakers are detailed and very articulate and provide good bass performance for such a small speaker

I have Gershmann Acoustics Sonogram's that you can pick up for around $2400 - I am finding them hard to beat by anything below $15k - and my NAIM amp is only 50 watts, so they are pretty easy to drive.


Hope that helps
HAVE you listened to B&W Matrix speakers?- the ones prior to the Nautilus models?  They can be had in your price range- the 802's are nearly impossible to damage even at high volumes. -And with a Pass SE amp they sing at ANY volume you care to choose. The amp will tame any hashiness from the metal-dome tweeters. Just make SURE you get a pair with Sound Anchor stands and tip-toes to mechanically ground the speakers to your floor.  the only (ok, a big) drawback is that they need excellent sounding components and great recordings to reach their full potential.
Seadweller, what's going to be driving these?  Makes a huge difference if you only have 20 watts vs 200...