Looking for "Last" 2 channel speaker system.


I am looking to downsize my speaker system in the near future and am interested in some feedback as to what my shortlist should be for auditions!

Some background. I currently have the Genesis 4 tower speakers, and absolutely love everything about them, except, their size! In particular I like the fact that the bass towers have adjustments which includes remote volume.........very very handy and useful.

For my last set of speakers I would like something with a much smaller footprint, that can also play occassionaly at higher SPL's. I think soundstage and detail and a holographic image is important, and a strong bass is important although I'm not completely against using a separate subwoofer to assist with the absolute bottom ends.

Some of the contenders that I am considering are: Marten Coltrane, Consensus Conspiracy, Avalon Isis, JM Lab Stella, Hanson King V2 and some model of Kharma. I have also been reading lately some very good reports on the top of the line Legacy speaker.

I would like to keep the price down somewhat, hoping to spend no more than $25K on the used market, perhaps up to $40K for something that performs in Utopia.

I don't feel that my front end info matters much as it is constantly in a state of flux, although I don't see the MBL6010D leaving.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.
bullot
Unless you're the kinda guy that gets a thrill out of diving head first into unknown territory, I'd suggest putting a few thousand dollars into a travel fund and then make the time to go around and actually listen to a number of top tier loudspeakers.
I agree with the suggestion of traveling a bit to audition different speakers. One that I can recommend is the new Magico Q3. I just heard it in Boston and it was the best "store demo" I've heard. It's $34K and would definitely be on my short list as a final purchase. Of course, amps are critical part of the equation. Sounds like a fun problem to have.
Von Schweikert Unifield 3. Small footprint big sound. Soundstage, detail, and holographic image are it's strengths.
How is the bass is in the Von schweikert unifield 3?
Specifically, is it well-defined, controlled, and transparent. Sometimes I have felt that while VSR always had, well, perfect mids/highs/vocals (just glorious, simultaneously very resolved but totally non-fatiguing or abrasive or piercing with awesome percussion),
sometimes the bass could be opaque or loose or a little boomy.

(I always used to say my ideal speaker would be a Wilson Puppy mated with a Von schweikert midrange/tweeter module.)
Legacy Whisper and Helix are two you should definitely have on your list. Make sure you check out the latest version of the Whisper, with the new drivers. If you like to change the front end of your system, you might talk to Legacy about doing a custom speaker like the Whisper DSW, that lets you switch between passive and active crossovers.