Broken hearted...magnepan and vandersteen

The elac integrated comment was more rant than a comment on my budget. Could I have Walked out with some prima luna gear and quattros... yes. But I was disappointed that my previously conceived plan involving the 1.7i were blown out of the water. Thankfully my fiance has a good ear and heard what I heard. She has said that if I am happiest with quattros, then I should get the quattros. Wow! End of the day, I also got to hear GE triton 1. excellent low end, clear sound, definitely a good speaker, but still doesn't match the vandersteens. 

I happen to like both brands but own a pair of Magnepan 3.7i which sound wonderful in my listening room.  You do need a high current amp to drive them (I currently have a Musical Fidelity Nu Vista 800 Integrated amplifier).  Setup did take some time (found soundstage shrank with ribbon tweeters inverted), but not more than time than I would spend on any other speaker - one has to play the room to get things right and all speakers are different in that regard.  I’m sure with properly matched electronics either speaker would sound good.  I would agree with the others that even under the best of circumstances comparing the 1.7i with the Quattro might be a tad unfair (and with everything else being equal both do have different sound signatures - becomes a matter of personal taste).  Enjoy your new speakers!

I've owned two of the entry models from each brand - same level of components, same room.

The 1Cis are comparable to the 1.7is in overall value, but they have some different strengths. I like both of these more than the 2CE Sig IIs. Oddly, I find the Magnepan .7 is better than the other three in overall performance. I was surprised to find it's actually more dynamic than the 1Cis and 2CEs, just doesn't plumb as deep in the bass. Yes, it requires more power, but an amp of 75 watts/ch with a stout power reserve will be enough for good volume in a medium-sized (i.e. 14x20') room. 

The .7 really is much better than what I was ever able to coax from the 1.7is, even regarding resolution. Maybe it's because I never used anything beefier than the Halo Integrated with the 1.7s. However, if one really needs a better amp than that to make them sing, then they're not a great value after all. 

@glfrancis2
Sounds like y'all shopped at HiFi Buys in ATL.
I bought my system from them: Quatro CT powered by Parasound A21 with Bluesound Vault as source via Parasound JC2BP.
Very happy with sound. And, great people and environment at HiFi Buys. David White there is an electrical engineer by training; he knows his stuff, no BS.

You might consider pairing Quatros with Parasound JC5 and NAD Masters series dac/streamer that eliminates need for pre-amp, if you are cool with all digital set-up.

I too planned to spend a lot less money but my wife like your fiance heard the Quatros and opened the door to getting them.
When your partner gives a gift like that, only wise move is to affirm her.

Besides comparing a $2200 pair of speakers to a pair of $15,000 speakers, it would be best albeit difficult to compare the Vandys to a higher priced pair of Maggies but with the following tweaks to optimize the Maggies. These would include mounting them on MyeStands, installing the Mike Powell silver upgrades to the stock jumpers and fuses. Plus Maggies require more power, proper placement away from the rear wall and angulation to optimize the sweet spot with regard to the listening position. All of these tweaks bring out the best in Maggies. They have in my 1.7i pair.