I would be just happy with any speakers from ATC, e.g. the SCM100:
Wowzers, man. I haven't a clue as to how they sound, but I sure do like how they look. Nice ported 3-ways (Is that a 10" woofer or a 12"?). Great-looking cabs, and the drivers look like they're high-quality.
My ultimate wish-list speaker is still the Bozak Symphony (which will likely cost me a lot more than I have at the moment, unless I found a working pair with rough cabs),but right now I'm extremely-happy with my current speakers (the early W90's in my avatar). I turn them on in the morning, and they totally-brighten up my day. Had I known that the tube-era Wharfedales sounded so-much like the old Bozaks, I would have gotten a pair much sooner. This type of sound makes me feel like a kid again when I hear it (Like the old, late '50's tube console that my mother had when I was growing up, it's the sort of sound that really brings you back to much-more-innocent days). A lot of tube-era, alnico-loaded speakers have this sound, but there are ceramic-loaded models that have it as well. But I'm referring to that ultra-smooth, engaging, musical sound that really stirs the emotional pot. Speakers of this sort are extremely-versatile in terms of music. They can sound right at home with some early '60's RCA Living Jazz stuff and then turn around and knock your socks off with some old school early '90's rap (Bozaks can do this, and so can my W90's).
Right now I'm listening to a recent 4CD Ella Fitzgerald set called "Twelve Nights In Hollywood" (2009). Fantastic live collection (stereo recording), but like most female jazz vocal stuff, it puts your mids and tweeters through quite a workout (Definitely-requires a speaker with smooth, laid-back mids and highs, otherwise it's likely to be a tinny, muddy, in-your-face mess). Some speakers handle this kind of music beautifully while others do not (I don't imagine it's the right kind of music for a pair of large, 1980's Infinities). When it comes to speakers, it's all about the music. It's about which speakers are best at disappearing and removing the barrier between the listener and the music, and which speakers are able to reproduce the emotional qualities of that music (i.e., make you wanna' boogie-oogie-oogie 'til you just can't boogie no more).
Just a few minutes ago, someone helped me lift my W90's so I could add another 2" or so to the height of the stands, and it took the last little hint of edge off the tweeters (Maybe not edge, but I can't think of a word for "in-your-faceness", which I think might be due to the caps... I think poly ones were used when the previous owner had them done). 9-10 inches seems to be the perfect height off the floor in which to raise them. Improves the bass (I can literally feel it hitting me harder), opens up the soundstage a bit more, and makes the mids and highs a little smoother and clearer. A pair of Symphonies would be great and all, but damn, this is really sounding good...
Not currently looking for a pair.
