Best Speakers for a MAC M5200


This is certainly not a new topic question but the others I've read on this haven't exactly been all that informative.  So, I thought I'd start this one.

I'm searching for a good upgrade of my present speakers (original Paradigm Monitor 9 purchased circa 2000).  They still sound great with the MAC but I'd like to kick it up a notch.  I've already done many hours of critical listening but have yet to hear something that makes me want to yank out the old checkbook.  I've heard 4 and 8 ohm nominal load speakers and I'm wondering if this particular MAC really does better with 8 ohm.  It's been bench-tested and proven to deliver 130 watts RMS into 8 ohms and somewhere between 180 to 206 watts RMS into 4 ohms, according to various reviews I've read.  Both MAC Labs and other knowledgeable audiophiles I've consulted have assured me this amp is quite capable of driving a wide variety of good quality 4 ohm speakers without breaking a sweat.  However, being able to drive those speakers and get everything out of them they are designed to deliver is a whole other question.  I'm not an expert on this (far from it) but it seems, to me, this amp does better with 8 ohm speakers, overall.  When auditioning it with 4 ohm speakers, it seems the more efficient or sensitive these are (e.g. 90 dB or better), the better the performance characteristics.  I auditioned it with aggressively discounted 4 ohm nominal load Aerial Acoustics 6T and the sound quality was very impressive.  In many respects, best I've heard, thus far.  However, I thought these Aerial sounded noticeably sweeter, fuller, richer and more musical on the 4 ohm taps of a good high-end tube amp.

As I always have and always will, I will ultimately let my ears be the final judge but I'm wondering if you experts out there who, hopefully, arent' trying to sell me anything can help me save some critical listening time by answering this question. I'm trying to keep this latest upgrade at 4K or under, preferably new but I am willing to consider demos or trade-ins.  I do have to contend with room placement issues.  So, wide speakers like Vandersteen model 2, Klipsch and other wide cabinets are out of the question.  Also, I cannot place the speakers any more than 32" from the wall behind them (32" from wall to front grills).  Finally, because of another room placement issue, I cannot separate my Paradigms by much more than 5.5' apart (from center of bass woofer of left speaker to center of bass woofer of right speaker).  So, here also, slender cabinets would be better in this respect.  The listening room is one end (about a third) of a 23' X 14' open concept style rectangular living room with 9' ceiling.  That one third listening area is approximately 9' X 14'.  Providing a more detailed description than that here would make this post much longer.  So, suffice it to say by way of an example that I've been told the Monitor Audio Silver 300 would probably be a better choice for my room than the Silver 500 and, similarly, the Revel Performa3 F206 better than the F208.  However, I'm not sure about that.  I will likely have to prove that to myself before making my final decision.

So, sock it to me fellow audiophiles!  What do you all think I should be spending my valuable time listening to?  

oldaudiophile
Good choice. I demoed a pair of Revel 328be on a full Mac system (MC462/C49) and thought it was one of the better systems I have heard. Really no flaw. There are things on other speakes/amp people might like better but as a whole it was hard to knock. 
I bought the MC462 and the speakers might be in my future too. 
HOLY COW, BATMAN! That is one hellaciously beautiful and powerful MAC stack! With that kind of power and current, if the budget can support it, I would encourage you to have a critical listen to Aerial Acoustics... probably the 7T. I did some serious seat-time with the 6T, powered by a big MAC tube stack and that was nothing short of audio nirvana! I’d have bought them in a minute but my MAC MA5200, which I also demoed them with, just didn’t have the current supply to drive those babies the way they deserve. With Beryllium tweeter speakers, I would ask how critical it might be, if at all, for there to be enough space behind the sweet spot. Don’t know anything about them; have never heard any but I do know AMT tweeters perform best when there’s a healthy amount of space behind the listening position (e.g. 6 feet, or so). So, having a wall right behind your sweet spot (couch; chair; etc.) would not be a good thing. Reviews and my own personal experience with AMT tweeters indicate high frequencies get a little harsh and quickly fatiguing under such circumstances. Given what I’ve read about Beryllium tweeters, I’ve always wondered if this might be the case with them, as well.

May music be with you, James!
Revel’s 328be’s tweeter is very soon and refined. No harshness at all. I have not heard a better dome tweeter. If anything it is just a touch below neutral (in room anyway). 
I have never heard anything from Aerial Acoustics.