best speakers for vocals?

Tboooe, check out the new ML Summits. Modest in size with unbelievable bass system. The first ML hybrid stat w/ its own sub amp, so you can drive the panel w/ a tube amp as it should be. 10K new or $7.5K used. What more could you ask? Lots of good reviews on the Gon now.

Tboooe, I'm somewhat surprized that no one mentioned MG-20.1's or MG-3.6's, depending on your room size, they offer exactly what you are looking for sonicly, with the type of music you listen to.

Harbeth may not give you the front row perspective you seek, but I think they do vocals spectacularly well. There's a human-ness, a real-life-voicebox quality to singers, which I have not heard to the same degree with other speakers. But many other good recommendations above.

Sounds like you want a good mid-range driver.

Try a google search for "renowned soft dome mid-range"

If size is an issue, then the Merlin VSM-MXs already recommended are definitely ones I would recommend you look at as well (very nice all-around speaker at $10K/pr., IMO). I also liked the GMA speakers a lot (I heard the Callistos) and can recommend them as well, but I preferred the Merlins (which cost considerably more).

If size is not as much an issue as I think it is, then there are some others that I can easily recommend along with the previously mentioned speakers above...

The Tyler Acoustics Woodmeres at $12K/pr. would be a good choice... They are large, but do not take up a huge amount of floor space (more tall than deep) and sound very good all-around, particularly on female vocals.

Finally, my personal favorites are just outside your price range new (18.2K/pr.), but easily within it used... They are the McIntosh XRT-28s. Like the Woodmeres, they are tall and a tad wide, but not particularly deep floorstanders that play female vocals *very* well. Allison Krauss sounds phenominal on them, BTW.

---Dave