To answer helomech's suggestion for additional information: my musical tastes are very broad; from classical, jazz, blues, rock, folk to old school country. Insofar as loudness, I would like a defined, well balanced soundstage at lower volume and maintain that soundstage in those moments higher volume madness. Doesn't everyone? As far as bass is concerned, I should clarify I don't need a ton of bass at a cost to transparency, which I'm not exactly sure how to qualify, and dynamics. The dedicated listening room is a rectangle, 15w' x 20'l x 9'h with preferred speaker placement along the 15' wall, hardwood floors with a 9' x 12' area rug.
To those who suggested Martin Logans, I did audition a pair against B&W's, neither model do I remember (in the $2.5K new range), and I liked the ML's more. But to be fair, the salesperson at my local Magnolia just didn't have a clue as to how to run the source for either, so I left disappointed. I also listened to a Pair of Paradigm Prestige 85F that were very nice but over my budget. That shop was nearly as dysfunctional as Magnolia. I've yet to find a good audio shop in my area, Sarasota, FL, but would hope to find one or two in Tampa. That said, my ability to audition is really limited. The Vandersteens, Revels and others are worth investigating on all of your suggestions, which I greatly appreciate.
To those who suggested Martin Logans, I did audition a pair against B&W's, neither model do I remember (in the $2.5K new range), and I liked the ML's more. But to be fair, the salesperson at my local Magnolia just didn't have a clue as to how to run the source for either, so I left disappointed. I also listened to a Pair of Paradigm Prestige 85F that were very nice but over my budget. That shop was nearly as dysfunctional as Magnolia. I've yet to find a good audio shop in my area, Sarasota, FL, but would hope to find one or two in Tampa. That said, my ability to audition is really limited. The Vandersteens, Revels and others are worth investigating on all of your suggestions, which I greatly appreciate.