What can come after Apogee Divas?


I have just moved from Europe to the US and had to leave my Apogee Divas behind that gave me so much pleasure for years (with active cross-over, run with 2 Krell Stereo amplifiers). I always liked the huge sound stage and clarity of these electrostats. I listen mostly to classical 2-channel music, but run a 10-foot screen 5.1 movie system with these speakers as 'mains' as well. Where should I go from here? Dynaudio Evidence temptation? Quad ESL-63? Martin Logan Prodigy? Wilson Audio Watt/Puppy? Krell LAT-1? JMLab Utopia? What is likely to give a similar performance to Divas in a large media room?
rogerwalk
Rogerwalk: Not knowing the Dynaudios, I tend to agree with Kirk, above. I would add, however, that the Quads will also outperform the Divas, even more perceptibly so in two channel classical IMO. Pls note though, they require VERY strong & controlled amplification, patience, and maintenance -- but the musical rewards are very high. (BTW, Quads are stats whereas your Divas are passive dipoles -- so, different sound.) The Quads as part of a multichannel HT is another matter and I don't know if they can take the spl usually associated with the likes of Gladiator et alia.
Another non-dynamic design you could consider is a full-range Soundlab. Good luck!
As I read the above posts and came to Greg's, I must say, that he's taken the words right out of my mouth, as far as the Quads are concerned. The Quads will outperform the Divas, but as Gregg has pointed out, Gladiator et al will give them the coup de grace! I also would go for a full range Sound Lab, if I were you.
Fact is, Detlof, I have *literally* taken the words out of your mouth (or posts, as it were)! Unlike you, I never managed to reproduce those high frequencies with my 63s --due to insufficient amplification, as you have noted elsewhere.
Rogerwalk: if you buy Quads you now know who the specialist is!
To put the "flat-speakers" case bluntly, there's no musical comparison between the two, IMHO and having lived with Apogees (internal c/over, however) & Quads very many years ago. This said, I humbly submit that Divas are beautiful all-rounders, indeed, great speakers and, as you intimate, difficult to match -- more so to surpass!
Cheers
Why not scour the for sale ads on the 'net and buy another pair of Divas in the U.S.? They do come up for sale every now and then. Better yet, post a wanted ad and see if you get any response, generally wanted ads do work. You were happy with them in Europe, I'm sure you'll be happy with your next pair.
As a former Diva owner, I've considered the "What's next" question for some time. If I were buying today and had the appropriate room, the only real (apples-to-apples) candidate would be the big Magnapan, the MG-20 or whatever the current iteration is. For someone used to the "huge ribbon" sound, NO electrostat will do the job, and no dynamic speaker is fast enough. Used Divas are an alternative, but then there's the question how to repair 'em.
Best of luck!
Joe