Replacement for current speakers suggestions

KEF ls50 metas were the biggest disappointment I've ever had - got sucked in by the reviews and trust the brand; I have a wonderful pair of (late 60's?) KEF Concord (I think but the fronts are different) a pair of Celeste mkIIs (still an adequate speaker) and a couple of pairs of Quad ESL57s as well as countless modern B & W (705s and others) and Mission stuff.

To be fair it may be the unusual placement (on a plinth in the middle of the room alongside said Concords) and they may be happier with the usual stands on the floor but I got them to replace my vintage beauties. I thought they would be crystal clear, image well and sound 'fast' at the expense of some warmth but they sound on the flat side of neutral- just dull

How can springs noticably change sound?  Does an amplifier jump around when being played?  Please explain this.  The more I listen to some of these discussions I am convinced many in this hobby are obscessive compulsive.  Not trying to put people down, but to someone new to this hobby some of this makes no sense.  

As far as the speakers are concerned, I would never consider Monitor Audio.  They are very harsh and bright sounding for my ears.  The Paradigm Persona 3's sound quite good.  Perhaps you might listen to a pair of Vienna Accoustics.  They are very warm sounding with their soft dome.  However, I like to hear more detail in the highs such as cymbals when playing jazz.  However, someone who primarily listens to classical music would just love them. They are warm sounding, but they are very bassy.  As we age, I have been told many of us lose hearing in the higher frequencies.  Perhaps, this is why Berrylium tweeters have gained popularity.

I just upgraded my speaker wires and purchased an expensive power cable and they do sound more spacious and they reveal more detail.  At first they sounded harsh during the first 4 hours.  The sales person is now trying to sell me a power cord and a digital cable for my BlueSound for $1,050.  I paid $500 for my BlueSound Node 2i.  He swears this will totally upgrade sound quality because it is treating the source.  You can't tell me it costs more to manufacture two wires as compared to the BlueSound.  I have my BlueSound connected using two RCA"s.  He said if I connect using digital cable it will reveal an enormous amount ot detail and space and it will allow my ARCAM DAC, which is better than the DAC in the Bluesound.  I wonder what others in this group think about this.

Interesting discussion thus far.

It’s tough to beat the Maggie 1.7i for the money, however, to do them justice, they have to be AT LEAST 3 feet out from the front wall. 4 to 5 feet is much better, unless you have some diffusion behind them. Also, they don’t have much bass impact, so for me, a sub is a must. I tried keeping them 2 feet from the front wall and experimented with all sorts of positioning (toe in/no toe in, spacing between them, tweeters in/tweeters out) and nothing worked well untill I pulled them 4 feet out into the room. I don’t have diffusion behind them, so that may have helped with them closer to the wall, as I was told by the dealer.  Due to the sound coming out of the rear of the planers, you run into phase cancellation problems when that sound bounces back off of the wall. 

I’m not familiar with your amp, but I wouldn’t go with anything less that 150 watts at 4 Ohms. They require lots of high current power to really sing. I’m using a PS Audio BHK amp which runs at 500 watts into 4 Ohms. Even with that power, I find the bass lacking without my two REL subs.

With that being said, when positioned properly and feeding them with the required amount of power, they can sound spectacular.  I've not heard a speaker under $5000 that comes close.   

I have the Monitor Audio 500 speakers. The sound is very accurate and lush. You won't need a sub. with these. I got an open box deal from Safe and Sound for $2100 a pair. I am also using a KT88 tube amp that I paid $2000 for and drives the MA 500's at 30 watts.

The Maggies may be picky about the listening position.

Good luck and take it a day at a time.

Thanks everyone for the responses, very helpful and your warm welcome is awesome! Sheridanmartin hello neighbor, I am in Carrollwood, Tampa. I will be visiting Brian probably Friday. You are right, after 18 years of doing business with him he's never steered me wrong. I am proud to call him a friend. I will be auditioning the 1.7's and Linton's, closely priced.

I did listen to Monitor Audio's today and the tweeter was excellent! The low end powerful but, after five minutes the sound hurt my ears, loose and almost rattling. The mid was confusing, not very clear, I was a bit surprised. After listening to my Schweikert's for 18 years and my vintage system's Polk Audio SDA 2B monitors I am spoiled by great sound. The Schweikert's sounded absolutely stunning today Listened to Dizzy Gillespie, Eddy Gomes, Dexter Gordon and Gentle Giant, great sound. I think they feel me looking so they will behave.

PJB, I understand your statement but as retired Operations Manager for 38 years, career cut short due to health issues, I learned early to be understanding of what folks wanted or needed. The venom is because in my first impression he comes across as a pseudo intellectual. There are nicer ways to communicate and I for one do not tolerate condescending statements, we all are here because we love music. Good equipment is the vehicle delivering good sounds so we can hear the music, not the system! Enough talk about MC, I am sure a he is a very nice person, approach me in a different tone and we are good!

Enough for tonight. Thanks you for all the great input and well wishes, I feel very welcomed here. I will post after my next audition until then, Cheers! Time to listen to my vintage beautiful vintage system!