Wanting to get back into the hobby and want to start with the speakers.


Hi everyone. Last year I went to a couple of local Hi-Fi shops and demoed two vastly different types of speakers. The first shop I went to I demoed the JBL L 100 Classic, the second place I demoed two different pairs of Magnepan speakers the MMG and the .7. To my ears both Magnepan’s wiped the floor with the JBL’s. Funny thing is the JBL was being driven by about ten grand worth of McIntosh gear and the Magnepan’s were driven by inexpensive Marantz gear. Now since hearing the Magnepan’s every darn box speaker sounds well......boxy. It’s like they all have this hollowed out muffled midrange. If not for a few reservations I’d probably own a pair of either of the Magnepan’s. From what I’ve read on forums and reviews the consensus seems they require space/careful placement. Though, somewhat of a controversial topic is how much power they require to get up and running. Some say you can never have too much power with them, others say they get by just fine with fifty watts per channel. I guess I won’t know unless I try them.

To switch gears I went a demoed another species of loudspeakers today, two different pairs from the Klipsch Heritage line. The Heresy IV and the Forte III. Both sounded pretty darn good, they sounded similar in the mid’s and high’s, but of course the Forte’s cover about another octave in the low end. Regardless they both still sound like boxes with a bunch of drivers jammed in it( which they are).

Now like any self respecting obsessive audiophile I’m always reading reviews and scouring the internet for other popular speakers to seek out and listen to. A few others I am interested in are Tekton speakers, Harbeths( specifically the p3esr), Vandersteen( either the 1ci or 2ci.), and to throw another curve ball in there a pretty obscure brand called Human speakers. The have a stand mount speaker called the model 81( a sealed two way acoustic suspension, maybe sounds less boxy, dunno). The only ones I would be able to demo in person are the Vandersteen’s, but I’d have to drive about 3-6 hours just demo them.
Anyway, sorry for rambling on, and for overuse of commas. Any suggestions, advise, and or personal experience with any of the above speakers mentioned would be appreciated, thanks.

qxb1998
Not sure large Maggie's would work in your room from what I've read about them. Long time since I heard them, except the LRS. It should work but I wasn't that impressed by it at a show. If you like the sound then go for it.

You should listen to some Larsen models, might suit you. At least read the review, it is interesting. Or try Kii Three which adjust to the room a bit and includes amp and dac. Or Dutch&Dutch 8.

https://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/larsen-model-9-loudspeaker/

For normal box speakers I would recommend Orangutan O/93. If you can go up in budget the smaller MBLs are very special.
Here are a couple of suggestions to consider that have not been mentioned: I had the Maggies 1.7s driven by a Rowland Model 2 and I liked them very much, but they dominated my living room visually. I ended up replacing them with a pair of Totem Forest Signatures. The Forest Signatures sound very much like the Maggies - open and present, with remarkable imaging. They are not the least bit boxy. Dealer only product.
https://totemacoustic.com/product/forest-signature/

The other is a brand you don't hear much about these days. Gallo Acoustics, and specifically the Strada 2 Reference. This is a boxless design that uses a curved planar tweeter. I had a pair of them with their sub, and they are an absolute steal. Use them with the little table top stands, on a wooden platform a few inches off the floor. Just wonderful! But my room, at 25 x 25 x 8 feet is just too big for them. Buy direct, you can try the Strada's in home for 30 days.
https://galloacoustics.com/usa/strada-2/

I like Gallo's approach of boxless, and crossover less design. I also had a pair of their now discontinued Reference 3.2's, and I am still using their subwoofer with my Forest Signatures, even though they don't really need them. 

Good luck!
As a reformed Magnepan 3.5R owner, they lacked bass. I added 2 SVS powered subs, but even with an active XO could not get a seamless blend.

I now have Emerald Physics 3.4s (open baffle 12" concentric woofer with 1" polyester tweeter), which do everything the 3.5Rs did well, PLUS excellent bass, but since my room is quite large, I will be replacing them with EP 2.8s which have 2 @ 15" carbon fiber woofers in a D’Appolito configuration with the same 12" concentric woofer in the middle


MSRP was $~3500, but can be found (if you’re patient) for < $1000


hth
A year ago I was looking to do the same as you. I ended up buying for my own taste - Classic Rock, Blues & R&B. The combination for my 60 year old ears (with 53% HF Loss corrected with hearing aids) was McIntosh 8900 Integrated with a pair of JBL L100's.  My listening area is small, I listen to Vinyl and stream HiDef which sounds great...to me. YMMV so get what YOU like and don't get segway'd into some wildly expensive gear.