Forgiving, musical speaker....

You might give old Snells a try. I did and am very satisfied. Definitely musical and forgiving. I started with K/IIs, now have J/IIs (and a pair of Ks for my office on the way). If you happen to live in Illinois, there's a super nice looking pair of E/IIs for sale on that auction site, local pickup only.

Forgiving, musical spkr....sounds like a description of my Spendor S100's!!

I'll second Johnnyb53, I loved the Mirage OMD-15. I couldn't resist the sale at Vanns though, so I sold them and bought the Mirage OMD-28. I can't imagine ever wanting more from a speaker. You can't go wrong with either one. The 28s need more power and more space around them, or they will be too bass heavy. Whichever fits your room better...get them.

Enjoy,
Mot

With all due respect but when you ask for a "Forgiving, musical speaker"..."but {not} too detached or polite...." you might be asking for a contradiction. Perhaps you might be better off with a very neutral speaker (with good depth) and a high quality equalizer?

09-08-12: Unsound
With all due respect but when you ask for a "Forgiving, musical
speaker"..."but {not} too detached or polite...." you might be
asking for a contradiction.

It seems like a contradiction,
but it's more of a paradox. Such speakers are out there--speakers that present a
full, detailed experience without driving people out of the room with hyper detail
and tipped-up treble. Examples include the Mirages, Spendors, and Ohms
already mentioned, and a stellar example is Sonus Faber, which somehow
delicately balances a wealth of detail with a full-bodied presentation that is
seductively musical on a wide variety of material.