Maggie MMG versus Ls3/5a

Yup.

Maybe not as sharp an outline (in terms of imaging and focus as opposed to speed and timing) with planars as some others, but enough mixed in with the rest to fit the bill quite well most likely.

And the price is right and not hard to resell if needed as insurance to boot.....

The characteristic dynamics of Maggies in general, including mmg, is why I think them to be one of the very best low volume speakers out there at any price.

Same true for Electrostatic speakers, including various hybrids I have heard, like Martin Logan and others.

Some box designs can challenge as well. The French seem to be good at this in that the Triangle speakers I own and Focals I have heard are also top notch at lower volumes.

Mapman, I'm glad you talked about low volume performance....that's important to me. I'm encouraged to pursue this direction now. Is it a better idea to purchase new MMG or, there is a pair of SMGa locally for sale here, at about half the price of new MMG

… Mapman says MMG are good on transients and attack, but Polarin says they are not great for rock because they lack weight and dynamics and Rpfef says they have greater impact (than the LS3).

How do I tie these opinions together to get an overview...?

Add a subwoofer or the DWM panel.

Then you'll get transients & attack plus the bottom end drive you need for rock and pop. I'm using a pair of small fast subs with my Maggie 1.7s and they pretty much cover all genres of music. If I need more slam for synth-pop and heavy rock, I would just swap out the little subs for bigger and deepter ones.

If the Rogers you heard did not present a deep and realistic soundstage they probably didn't have the proper electronics.

To clarify: I meant that at the time I auditioned the Mags vs. LS3s, I found the greater radiating surface of the mg1s and their ability to play louder made larger scale musical forces more immediately physical in their impact. I guess, for electric guitars and drum kits, neither option suffices to give a great rendering.
I thought both designs had about similar detail revelation and transient attack. The 'tiny' drivers and the little box make a satisfying job of quickness surely not very different from that of the planar designs.