Vandy or Maggy?

"""My little Triangle Titus monitors, similar size to those TOtems more or less, helped convince me that even smaller dynamic speakers done well can compete with planars."""

Are you sure it wasn't the interior decorator convincing you. There is no substitute for cubic inches.
JohnnyR Dealer for both Mag and Vandy.

In my small (12'x 17') room, I found the 2CEs overloaded the room with bass no matter where they were positioned. The 1.7s do not. The 1.7s are easier to move around and sound more transparent but are fussier with your equipment and source material. If you really want great dynamics + loud, look at horns (ie Forte II, Cornwall, Chorus, etc.)

"Are you sure it wasn't the interior decorator convincing you.

No, but my old 80's vintage Maggies that I had for many years (and even had successfully rebuilt by Magnepan once) in smaller quarters mostly could never cut it on their own in my larger listening room in my current home compared to the modern dynamic speaker competition.

The little Triangles basically did most everything the 6 foot tall Maggies did when I tested those out for comparison in the same room and with the same gear, but perhaps even better.

"There is no substitute for cubic inches."

Depends on room size and need for bass extension, but I agree in general. When needed, I used separate subwoofers as well, and that pretty much covered it.

The answer is: Eminent Technology LFT-8B
Many years ago all I could afford was either the Maggie 1.6 or the Vandy 2CE. I used them both and felt that both had significant shortcomings. I longed for a speaker which could meld the strengths of those others.

The Eminent Tech does so, imo. It was cleaner than the 1.6, likely closer to the current 1.7 (perhaps not the 7i just released, but a comparison would need to be conducted), and it had a good proportion of the weight in the low end that that Vandy carried.

I reviewed for Dagogoc.com and owned the LFT-8B with great enjoyment. I only released it due to moving to the King Sound King, and then the King III electrostat, a far more formidable speaker than any of these others.

I am not suggesting the LFT-8B will be clearly superior in all aspects than a Vandy or Magnepan, but for what you seem to be seeking, as I was, it may be the right speaker.

Thanks Douglas, I 'll look into them.

Mapman, I still have a pr of Triangle Titus 202, which was a class B stereophile speaker, that I used to use on my TV system.
I've tried them in my "serious" room but they were nowhere near as good as the Totem Dreamcatchers even though they are larger.
The Totems might not have many cubic inches but they have one hell of a supercharger !