Forget Magico. Forget Magico completely. For that size room and your electronics I can’t recommend the Vandersteen Quatro enough. They excel with Audio Research amplifiers because they only need to produce 100hz and above for the Vandersteen speaker. The bass is driven by dual 200 watt sub-woofer amplifiers, which allow the mid range in the system to really thrive. I’ve had several of the other speakers you mention and will tell you that the Quatro’s will smoke anything you will put in front of them at that price point. Magico is no good with your Audio Research gear. Magico speakers need a really strong ultra bandwidth amp that has a really high damp factor to control the bass in that speaker. Tube amps don’t have that at all. An Ayre MXR 20 amp, Boulder Amp, Constellation Audio, Spectral, Naim Nap 500 would all be good options for the Magico but not an Audio Research tube amp. I don’t care what the sales guy says it’s not a good choice.
My second recommendation is the ProAc Response D 48 R. ProAc voices their speakers with amplifiers from Naim and Audio Research. That speaker is $12,000 and sounds like a $40,000 giant killer. It’s a 4 ohm load and your ARC amp will love it! I have a pair and can’t say enough about it. The Vandersteen is built with a better fit and finish than the ProAc and it’s made in America. Vandersteen also has a new sub coming out that will allow you to further tune the bass into the room and really let the mid range shine. I've
