It's Magnepan 20.1's or B&W Nautilus 801's

Unlike the others, I AM opinionated. The speakers worthy of your choice of music and equipment are the Maggies. It is unfortunate that your medium of choice is digital crap (I do not care if it costs a million dollars), even a half way decent turntable, properly set up will sound vastly superior in audio QUALITY (not convenience) to the CD player. A few suggestions:

1) Make sure the Maggies are properly positioned in your room. Start by placing them 60" from the back wall and gradually move them closer to the wall until the image snaps into focus. DO this over a period of several months listening to each position over a period of days/weeks).

2) The build quality of the Maggies is quite flimsy so take care.

3) Use short (the shorter the better) speaker cables and longer interconnects from your preamp to the power amps.

4) Make sure the speaker bottom corners of the two speakers and the top are exactly equidistant (within 1/8") from the back wall.

5) Do yourself a big favor and buy yourself a decent turntable - from a VPI or Basis at the low end to La Verdier Platine or VPI TNT at the high end. You see them often at Audiogon.

6) Keep your audio path simple and straight forward. Avoid the preamp if you can. Whenever confronted with choices, KISS (keep it simple stupid). Do not believe the reviewers or the salespeople - listen with your ears. Don't buy if your can't hear a difference.

7) Be prepared to be emotionally overwhelmed with music.

8) Invite yours truly over frequently for dinner. Send plane tickets if you do not live in Houston.

I have many more opinions to offer but not enough space or time.

Regards,

Erider

Years ago I had the room for my Magnaplanar Tympani 1Ds. Marraige, kids, and no room, now. Lots of room needed for these babies to scream. If I had the room I would go back in a second to those 20.1s. I don't know about your electronics, but assuming they are matched right, I'd go that way. Maggies are addicting. Lightning fast. Soundstage like no other. I get the tingles thinking about them. Placement, as you've heard, is the whole deal. Very important, problematic, and time consuming, to get right. But when you do. Ah baby...you're there.

My gut response for your musical tastes (mostly acoustic it seems) would be the Magnepans, but that doesn't mean the B&W's might not actually work better in your room, although you likely won't go far wrong either way. The B&W's could well have some livability advantages however, depending on your situation. Probably the biggest difference between the two will be be the way they interact with and project sound into the room, so in either case, if you are buying them new from the dealer, you be all means at this level should receive professional installation assistance and a home audition period of at least two weeks with return privileges. Enquiring minds want to know - what other contenders did you audition and reject, and did you consider, or at least listen to, the more expensive Signature 800's?

Roy -

First of all, I commend you on actually going out and listening, rather than just reading the latest "recommended components list". You're doing it exactly right!

Tafka Steve is spot on - ultimately, one listens with the heart, because that is where music speaks to us.

Let me toss out the idea that it may not be so much a matter of which speaker does the most things right, but rather which does the fewest things wrong. Little colorations that remind you you're not listening to the real thing are often what spoil the illusion.

Unfortunately, I can't predict whether the little glitches I'm especially sensitive to are the ones you are. I would take the Maggies because they have no boxy colorations, of which I seem to be rather intolerant.

I'd suggest you listen to the exact same piece of music on each speaker at the entire range of volume levels you expect to use at your home. Each of these speakers' tonal balance will change with volume level, so you want to make sure they sound good at the volume levels you expect to use. Also try this - turn the volume level up a bit higher than normal and walk into the next room. From the next room, you are checking the reverberant field response and the dynamic contrast. Note that from the next room, a live piano would still sound like a live piano. Realistic sound from the next room is an excellent predictor of long-term fatigue-free listening.

Best of luck in your quest!

Duke