Speaker hunt -> To leave or not Leave Martin Logan Behind

JBL 4369's see here! 

Mike

You may want to consider adding a Black Ice Foz SS-X Sound Expander, a perfect mate to your 15a’s.  A new appreciation is in store…

I’d say likely a positive move for the kinds of music you like (similar to me).  

ATC probably worth a look for you. 
 

After I enjoyed a 12 year relationship with Magnepan 3.6's, I decided to make a change, for many of the same reasons that are driving you. I went to open baffle speakers, specifically the Emerald Physics 2.8. It had many of the attributes of a panel speaker (most of which could be chalked up to being a dipole,  and being boxless, I suppose), but it improved on dynamics and had a certain richness of tone and more saturated colors than I had with the Maggies (which I really liked). I had them, and enjoyed them, for eight years. Those specific speakers are no longer made, but there are a few good open baffle makers out there.

After those eight good years, I wanted to try another style of speaker, so I purchased Volti Razz horn speakers. They are my current speaker, and I really, really like them. A more gregarious sound, not nearly as introverted as my panel speaker. with your budget, you could get the Rivals from Volti, and I doubt you'd have regrets. Horns are worth some thought.

To @necrosuit - I was mistaken, and did not realize it was the integrated unit, sorry about that.  What a super nice integrated you have there. I hope to get back there some day, all "integrated" myself.  While I have played with ESLs some, had ML 3.6s on demo for a while years back, listen to SoundLabs sometimes at my local dealer friends place - i also reflect about a local store that uses [only] McIntosh amplifiers with the big MLs, which do seem to be bit more forgiving.  I went there once and specifically listened some to older vintage rock stuff, and not the best recordings. I have smaller MLs for my other HT system I uses, swap in too. While not the same as your big MLs, the do seem to react in different ways when I try different sources, cables, DACs, and the same for my own main electrostatic main speakers, fwiw.  

At this place with the largest MLs, and the big Mcintosh pre/amps playing, using the built-in DAC, I do recall some of the glare / fatigue multiplied by the big gun MLs in the room, yes, on the suboptimal recordings i was playing (on purpose).  I was there testing different DACs, types.  I brought my own DAC, my own cables, for to/from the DAC as well, comparing against another onboard DSL DAC, my DSL DAC with different chips in it, and later testing again with an NOS R2R Ladder DAC. While none of this was about vinyl, no records involved, the underlying message is we were able to change the sound coming out of the big MLs to a more forgiving one, a more enjoyable experience, by tinkering around with the source components, DAC types, trying all-copper quality cables, no silver tinned cables. Long story, but we proved different source components, and some poor-interaction cables used can really tip up or bring grain and agitating etch to the sound, some times. Just sharing because the change made a nice difference that day. I had something similar, got away from DSL DACs and returned to NOS / Ladder DACs just so I could listen to some of the same kind of music you referred to.  

Ask: By chance did you happen to change something upstream, a source component, or any cables used in your system over the last few years? ...and now noticing more fatigue than any time before say a few years ago, etc?