$10K Budget for Speakers: Martin Logan Masterpiece vs Tannoy


For much under $10K I can get a pair of Martin Logan Masterpiece’s Classic ESL 9 (the new ones retail for $6.5). Alternatively, I might go ahead and get a used pair of the top-of-the-line ESL 13 with all the bolts and whistles the modern electrostatic speakers offer: an unbelievable 3D-almost-surround-like staging and very detailed, life-like sound. Those Martin Logans speakers do have a huge speaker emission surface (the sound radiating "panel") emitting the sound bi-directionally and these speakers are almost the human hight tall.
The same $10K would also get me a top-of-the-line Tannoy Arden speakers (8K per pair). On the used market, if I am lucky, I could get a pair of Turnberries. Tannoy, while does have some unmatched style and a "company history-story" factor, apparently doesn’t even come close to be able to give the same sound experience Martin Logan speakers do. Tannoy speakers radiate sound from a single 10", 12" or at best 15" driver. The speaker themselves are significantly smaller than Martin Logan ones. They are barely hip height.
The esthetics and design is a huge factor for me, I do love Tannoy speakers. But, from a practical standpoint, and because the main reason I am getting the speakers is still the SOUND, and not the speakers design, I am heavily inclined to get a less-by-my-opinion-styled speakers made by Martin Logan. Because MLs, regardless of the price, offer a wider, cleaner, more life-like sound than Tannoy speakers do.
If the sound reproduction is the only concern, why would I choose a smaller, a single driver Tannoy over state-of-the art technology implemented in Martin Logan?

esputnix
@esputnix,

Yes, two entirely different approaches to high fidelity playback.

An eventual update would be interesting. You might end up loving both, but there's bound to be a preference.

Will the Dual Concentric Tannoys work in a stacked mode? Will the brand new shiny Martin Logans gradually lose their initial sheen?

Is it all going to be a eventual question of tone versus detail? 

One thing is immediately clear, the Martin Logans are an impressively elegant design.

No getting away from that.
If you enjoyed the previous 16 years of Martin Logan then it could be safe to assume your room, components, and ears are going to prefer them. Congrats.
Personally, I’d get a new pair of the Magnepan 3.7s, and spend the extra $7000 on something else...  Certainly not on Martin Logan’s...
Wow ... so many people not even listening to your actual question!  
I've owned BOTH Martin-Logans & Tannoys for over 20 years.  They are VERY different experiences, and I love them both.  
My M-L SL3's give me transparency, clear midrange detail, and a large vertical scale that cone speakers just cannot do.  My Tannoy System 15 studio monitors give me palpable dynamics and dynamic scale that electrostatics simply cannot do.  The Tannoys are a bit colored, and have some midbass girth that is missing on the SL3's, around the crossover region from panel to woofer.  But this also makes music more FUN to listen to.  If I had to choose between only these two for the rest of my life, it would be the Tannoys, for their versatility with all types of music.  The M-L's make me favor more Jazz and and audiophile quality recordings.  70's rock music doesn't do so well on the Logans.  
In my living room, I switch between them every few months, and really enjoy both.  Neither gives me fatigue, so i don't know what those others are talking about.  Could it be their electronics??
You have a tough decision!  Both are interesting & bold choices!  
Tannoy. Beautiful cabinets. I own a pair of Reference Sterlings. Like fine furniture.