Would getting a pair of Maggie 1.4s be an upgrade?

Martin, simply put, I think the 1.4QRs would be a music upgrade, but a HT downgrade and that overall you probably wouldn't be too happy with them since they require lots of power (your amp only appears to venture into 4 ohm territory for bursts of power, which is where the 1.4QRs like to hang), they are very room and position dependent, and they have a much narrower sweet spot.

"Regluing" is probably the seller telling you that the drivers in his 1.4QRs had delaminated (the drivers consist of very thin strips of wire glued onto sheets of mylar and under certain conditions and/or over time the glue doesn't hold), a common issue with older Magnepan speakers, that may have been fixed completely or partially, well or poorly. The only way to tell is to pull off the cloth covering called a 'sock' (not an easy task) or shine a light of some sort through the sock to inspect the drivers, and to listen to them - if you hear aberrant sounds and/or see wires coming up off the mylar, the delamination problem probably remains.

Given the aforesaid brief description of caveats of ownership, these speakers could be a cheap easy way to enter into the wonderful world of planar magnetic speakers - Magnepan is a revered company and the Magnepan Users Group on the Audio Asylum provide a wealth of information on Magnepan speakers and the folks there are very helpful. http://www.audioasylum.com/forums/MUG/bbs.html

Are you referring to the Magnepan 1.4, Chandler, AZ seller on Phoenix craigslist? If so, I emailed the seller regarding his "re-gluing" work yesterday (24MAR), but no reply yet.

The 1.4s are definitely worth $200 if all checks out. Webnick's response is very good.

"Would replacing the VR with the 1.4s be considered an upgrade?"

Maggies sound and do things differently from conventional dynamic designs.

I think that would depend mostly on whether you consider the differences you will hear to be an upgrade or not.

Most would consider the potential benefits to be with certain kinds of music, more acoustic forms of music and less electronic/rock/pop types or for HT, at least without use of subs.

Wow. Thanks for the responses, fellows!

I wanted to include more info in the original post, but there was a word limit on the post.

I will be listening to Progressive rock (Porcupine Tree, Riverside), Classic Rock (Pink Floyd and the likes) and occasionally Hard rock/ Metal (Metallica/ Tool/ A Perfect Circle) kind of music.

I prefer listening to music more than watching movies. I don't listen to things loud as I prefer to NOT blow my eardrums out.

I have a sub (Paradigm PS-1000) that does nice duty during movies. I put the DTR6.5 in Pure Audio mode when listening to music.

That said, unfortunately the Maggies are sold. (Stevensctt - Yes, they are from the guy in Chandler, AZ :D)

With a tight budget (<$500) can you folks recommend something that will fit my bill?

Not surprising the Maggies sold. I likely would have bought them for $200 if the seller responded. Good deals like this go fast.

I would continue with Craiglist searches. With your budget and music preference, maybe look for a pair of Paradigm Studio 60s to pop-up. I bought a pair on Craigslist a few months ago for $175 from a seller in Mesa. They were v2 and in great shape. The Studio 60s are good for your listening tastes and budget. Since you have a SW, maybe consider the Studio 20 or Studio 40 bookshelfs.

I've seen B&W DM640s on Craiglist for less than $500/pair another good choice. Also, look for B&W DM602s -- a large bookshelf monitor that is VG for rock. Depending on the version, you should find a pair for less than $300.