Time to replace speakers, suggestions wanted


I have enjoyed my Totem Rokks for about 8 years now. Recently I noticed the distinctive sound of the paper separating on the left mid-range. So I will start the search for replacement speakers and will limit my search to full range towers. I listen to mostly rock from acoustic to hard and I am looking to get back into vinyl soon. Fidelity is important. I have heard Aerial 7B's and was very impressed. They might be a bit much for my system. I would appreciate input on speakers to audition.

My system consists of Marantz 63SE CD, Adcom GDA600 D/A, Rotel RC-990BX pre, 2 bridged Rotel RB-980BX amps (horizontally bi-amping to keep leads as short as possible), all fed by a Rotel RLC900 line conditioner. I also have a Paradigm powered sub, but I hope this will go away.

My listening room is the 15x20 L part of my finished basement. Berber carpet, bare (for now) walls, and 8' drop ceiling.
dan_ed
You may well hate ML's for rock music, the woofers are a joke, the panel is made for lightweight music and can't handle large dynamics without breaking up very audibley. I highly suggest that you demo those speakers before buying, I know many folks not at all impressed with them (myself included) or not happy owning them after hearing less expensive speakers eat them alive.
Absolutely. I don't buy anything I haven't heard. I am trying to find places within my home area, southern N.H., to audition the speakers I am interested in. Some makes are easier to find than others. I have heard Thiel, Revel, Aerial, and the Aerials easily won that round. I've listened alittle to Martin Logans but only with light jazz and a female vocalist. I'm looking for places to demo ACI, Vandersteen, and Totems.
Recent snows have kept me from making progress on the speaker upgrade search.

Totem says they will sell me replacement drivers for $90 each. Maybe it's worth replacing the mid-range in both speakers at the same time to keep them balanced. What do you think?
If those are dynaudio drivers you can read off the numbers and they can send you a matched replacement, without having to get a pair. On the other hand, if the damage is due to age the other will probably go soon anyway.
That's the thought I had. The "head light" theory, if you will. When one goes replace both.