First round of auditions disappointing

It sounds to me like you might enjoy some of the vintage Altecs. I have Model 17's with 604 drivers (and listen nearfield), but for your room you might want Model 19's. Dynamics galore and crank them til your heart is content. The drawback is you will probably end up wanting to go with a tube amp in the future. Plus, you can pick up a pair for $2000 or less. If you move to a larger room, no problem with them filling them. They roll off pretty quickly at 40hz and don't extend to 20 khz. But I can't hear that high of frequency so that wouldn't bother me.

Anyway, others will probably not agree and they may not be for you, but they might just be the ticket you are looking for. Good luck in your search and I hope you find what floats your boat.

save up for eggleston andras- 1's or even 2's.
maybe you'll come to like sonus faber electra amators or the extremas.
as for von schweikerts, i own a pair, and the (new?)
carbon fiber midrange is as fast as a planar speaker
and you'll get all the dynamics you're looking for.
anyway, think of these suggestions as catagories.
as for speakers from bygone days i was never disappointed in the sound of B&W 802's
or aerial 10t's either- quite the opposite.

Tyler/Excel line. You have not heard these yet. Ty might be at the CES show. Also look at his web, he lists folks who will let you demo in their homes. Maybe someomne is in your area. Thats how I got to hear them, I live in BR and drove to NO to hear them. Worked out fine.
btw thanks for your honesty on your reviews. paulbest

Thanks again for putting up with my inquiries everyone!

Tvad - I'll look into home auditions, but you're right, it's not easy shipping 100+ lb. containers back and forth. Perhaps there are some local A'goner's that would accommodate.

Boa2 - Amp is a Parasound Halo A-21, pre-amp is a Sonic Frontiers SFL-1 Hybrid, CD player is a Rotel RCD-965BX, and cables are Audioquest (don't recall the version).

David12 - Can the Adagio's play loudly in a large room with two 6.5" drivers?

Shadorne - Thanks for the "last piece of advice!" I will certainly check out Atlas. I listened to the PMC MB2 and IB2, and they are incredible systems, but both are well over $10K. Their sound is what I'm looking for in a speaker.

Honestl - I'll check out the Talon's, as I've read how fast and dynamic they are. They might be up my alley as well. I had Magnepan 1.6's, and they only lasted 30 days. They simply don't recreate the "live event" for most program material.

Wwwrecords - Indeed, I used to own the Altec Model 19's, and with all their idiosyncracies, they truly were magnificent speakers. Problem is, I don't have the space for another "washer/dryer." They fall outside of the "reasonable" part of my size limitations clause!

French-fries - I've heard the Eggleston speakers, and they're very similar to my VR-4's. Too "audiophile" for me. I think I owe it to myself to at least listen to the current VR-4jr and VR-4sr.

Thanks again for your tolerance everyone!

I listened to the PMC MB2 and IB2, and they are incredible systems, but both are well over $10K. Their sound is what I'm looking for in a speaker.

Then search around for top Pro implementations, active even. Given the space restraints none of the usual "audiophile" products will fit the bill.
Of course, go used: Meyer, PMC, Adam, some JBL... Or maybe, a Klipsch (but you'll have to modd certain things). Unfortunately, a Klipschorn won't fit into yr room and it's too expensive - even used. Likewise, horns (that reproduce dynamics with ease) are large. Maybe Earl Geddes' "Summa" are a more conventional type of spkr that would do the job -- but I've only heard OF & about them.