Noob Planar Speaker Advice Needed

I appreciate a feedback.

(I tried a post on the HT forum 1st and just was not getting what i needed from that)

Choice by auditioning: I wish i could drive around an audition speakers - but im married with little kids and thats just not going to fly. The used market keeps its value so i am going to buy something based on recommendations and sell it if im not happy.

Maggie 1.7s: I'd love to try them out... but they will only be had new for awhile and i cant afford 2k for them.

Recommendations vs Budget: I appreciate all the recommendations. Many of them have been outside of my price range though. I have a little over 2k to spend on speakers + amp.

Any more thoughts?

Thanks!

"I have a little over 2k to spend on speakers + amp."

Martin Logan SL3 and an Odyssey Stratos Amp.

Woodenpeter (creative name, dude), how far out into the room can you place the front main speakers? As you probably know, most dipoles require aome significant space between themselves and the rear wall for proper timing and imaging.

Since you have stated that more than half of the intended use is for HT, you might want to consider mixing Maggie wall-mounted HT speakers (MMGW) with MMGs or 1.6s for a well-integrated setup. Just a thought...

i have quads. don't like the sound above 200 hz with any solid state amp. i have tried several. quads and a tube amp is the way to go. the newer quads were assempled in china. don't sound as good as the 63 or esl. i have owned both .

i have a partiality to the martin logan 2 z, but frequencies below 80 hz may be lacking in sound pressure level.

the ets don't integrate well. i also own magie 1.6s. go with the martin logan's

I have some thoughts.

Maggies vs. Stats:

1.) Maggies are not satisfying at low levels, so like me, if you use your system for long periods at background levels (in between actual listening sessions) you probably won't be happy. Electrostats remain full-bodied at low levels.

2.) Maggies can't (practically speaking) be driven with tubes. They require a lot of voltage in each watt of amplifier output, a feature of SS amplifiers. The opposite is true of electrostats. They require current more than voltage, and tube amps deliver more current (per watt) than SS amps.

3.) If you're willing to bi-amp, you can improve the performance of the larger Maggies by putting a tube amp on the ribbon tweeter/midrange, and a ss amp on the bass panels. However, with the (current models of) MartinLogan electrostats, biamping is not necessary since they already have internal ss amps for the woofers, allowing you to use a nice tube amp for the panel -- in oher words, they are sort of "pre-biamped" ;--)

4.) The smaller Maggies are like smaller box (non planar) electrodyamic speakers. Less is just less. Small electrostatic panels sound just like big ones -- as long as the room is also small; and as with all stats, will need some bass supplementation.

5.) All the Maggies except the very small ones, will do best with solid state amplification. If you opt for a MartinLogan hybrid (stat panel + built-in woofer) then for the best result for the dollar, buy one of the recent models with self-powered woofers so you only need a decent tube amp (the external amp) to drive the panels; giving you the best of both worlds without the expense and hassle of using two different kinds of external amps. With an SL-3 for instance, you won't get the best out of the panel with just an SS amp, nor will you get the best bass if you try and get away with just a tube amp (even a big tube amp.)

6.) There are occasionally used Apogees available within your budget. You may find them a bit off the beaten path in popularity, but not in looks or sonics! And they're coming back for two reasons: first the company has been re-started, and second, we now have amplifiers that are easily up to the take of driving them.