electrostatic with detail?

I don't disagree with much that has been said, and particularly agree with Johnsonwu. In particular, MLs are very fussy as regards setup. Poorly setup they usually sound indistinct from the mids on up. They MUST be firmly spiked to the floor. You MUST experiment with forward tilt to get higher frequencies in focus. You MUST have a uniform and uncluttered front wall. If you deal with these issues and the rest of your system is up to it, then you will get lots of detail - more naturally presented than any Thiel. But I agree with Audiokinesis that the ML is bested by the Soundlabs.

SoundLab #1 choice, followed by the Innersound Eros. Otherwise get Maggies and add a Carver subwoofer.

The ML Prodigy is a fine product. For 10K it better be! The Inner Sound Eros bests the Ml product line with exception to the Prodigy and Statement and for half the cost of the Prodigy. If you want detail, this is your speaker in spades!

Thanks for the input on the various items. Johnsonwu, do you have an opinion on the better detail with air, and yes I will look at the prodigy/ascent.

Find a pair of Acoustat 1+1,2+2,Model 2 or Model 3,your seach is then over. Nuff said.

The request is not one of the better ML speakers. Audition the newer prodigy and Ascent and you will notice the logans are the most detailed speakers there is. I am not saying that they are one of the best though.

You could not possibly go wrong with a pair of Jean Marie Reynaud speakers, you might be happy with a pair of evolutions for about $3000, and save some money at the same time. delveaudio is a dealer. I haven't heard them but I understand they are great value. Even greater value is going to see more live concerts with your significant other and a large crowd of music loving friends.

Emster - You might consider Sound Lab full range electrostats. They use the thinnest diaphrabm in the industry - 1/20th as thick as the Martins, and so they have superb nuance and articulation. See Jonathan Valin's review in the February/March 2000 issue of The Absolute Sound. I am a Sound Lab dealer and can get you into a pair of Millennium-3's in the price range you mention, or into a pair of Millennium-2's for a little more. My gimmick is this: I also run a bed & breakfast, and if you travel to New Orleans for an audition you stay free in my B&B, and if you purchase a pair of Sound Labs from me I'll reimburse your airfare, up to $500.00. I'd be glad to explain more about the Sound Labs if you are interested - don't worry, I'm not a hard-sell kinda guy. You can check out their website at www.soundlab-speakers.com, or check out mine at www.audiokinesis.com. My e-mail is audiokinesis@home.com.

Have you tried a pair of ProAc speakers?