Big speakers, are they really the best way to get great sound?

In the right room, yes, large speakers are the best way to get the most accurate sound. 

I have had quite a few opportunities to hear large speakers: Von Scheikert Ultra 11, large Wilson's (can't remember which), Acapella Audio CAMPANILE, Acora  Acoustics VRC-1, Estelon Forza, and others. 

Their ability to reproduce realistic scale, cannot be equaled with smaller speakers.

Having heard the Von Schweikert Ultra 11's quite a few times, I have heard them reproduce a full orchestra at realistic scale as if I was sitting 12-15 rows back at Disney Hall, then be able to reproduce a solo singer with a guitar, also at accurate size and scale, is hard not to be impressed with. 

OP,

The Montana XPS do need a long burn in period, minimum 400 hours, and they need to be playing at least at 70 db to do them justice. 75 db is my sweet spot. And of course it is totally system dependent. I do appreciate your gentle approach to my comments even so PBN is not yourcup of tea.

Most of us have had that experience - go to a show or dealer, listen to an ostentatious 6-figure dollars (or more) huge speaker, and think to ourselves "god this sounds mediocre or even outright BAD; I vastly prefer my own system!"

This IS a good representation of how hard it is to get a large-speaker system right. It can be much harder than with more moderately sized speakers. This IS NOT a good representation of what a truly well crafted mega-budget large system CAN do. The upper limit is much higher, but getting there is the trick. Amp matching is also crucial at this level.

Two of my major "meh" moments were with Focal Utopias a few years ago - Stella III and Grande III. Driven by electronics deep into 6-figures themselves (Soulution). But then I really dug the much cheaper Sopra 3’s in the next room (VAC Statement tube amps)! Maybe Utopias are just the wrong speaker for me, or maybe I just haven’t heard them yet in the right system. Another time, much longer ago (15 years), I had a "meh" experience with very large Wilsons (Maxx?). I sort of remember enjoying them more than I did the Utopias, but still not nearly enough to justify their expense. In another room at that same event, there were huge McIntosh line arrays which I though sounded VERY good (of course driven by Mc amplification), and at least made a good run at justifying their cost!

@mulveling Agreed. Getting large speakers to really work well does take more time and expertise. The system i heard had what appeared to be the right upstream gear and was carefully put together. I just think that perhaps the speakers in question could not live up to either their hype, or their price. I also have heard the large Focal’s and come away less than impressed. The interesting thing is that they seem to be highly dependent on room interaction. The first time I heard the Utopia’s, I was impressed, but every time since, they have done absolutely nothing for me.

One other thing, and perhaps we all suffer from this..as the price rises to the heavens, our expectations may rise there also???

OP, “…I think the overall sound will be unlike what hears in a ‘live’ setting, due to the seeming inability of speakers like these to sound intimate enough, when called for.”

I am not sure how many of these large speaker systems / electronics are really trying to sound like the real thing. They take you for a sound spectacular (when properly set up). The holographic abilities of Wilson for example is simply incredible. Lots of speakers are made to sound great, exaggerating details to amaze folks by treating the listener to details they have never heard before or making solo performances out of background instruments or giving physical impact to the bass where this would normally not happen.

I think these are design goal choices of the companies making them.

There are a few brands who’s goals are the natural reproduction of live / realistic music. These include Sonus Faber for speakers and Audio Research, Conrad Johnson and others. They don’t design for flash, they design to get the gestalt right, the overall presentation… and are incredibly intimate.. conveying the musical essence of the performances.

So, it is a question of aligning your values with the values of the company.

It took me decades to figure this out (ok, I’m slow)… but the journey and destination has been worth it for me.