I have the Adagios and like them a lot; though, after making some major upgrades this summer, I am still NOT totally hearing what I want. Also, going from a Creek SE5350classic INTEGRATED AMP to a Bel Canto PRe3 pre-amp, and Red Dragon digital monoblocks, and klast year last going to AZ's Hologram 2 speaker cable,.... the soundstage seems to have shrunk to the space between the speakers....probably just a matter of adjusting the speaker place.
To answer your thread more specifically...and maybe radically, I would audition a pair of Martin Logan's Electro-Motion ESL speakers which retail for $2200. I have read some very positive press about them; they were the buzz at the January CES show in Vegas; but, I have not heard them yet... maybe in the a few weeks when visiting Los Angeles. The traditional shop talk about ML speakers is they require careful room placement, tend to lose imaging if you shift your head or stand up, and have a narrow sweet spot. However, when set-up correctly can sound incredibly boxless, and natural, at the same time accurate and with above average dynamics; it is worth a shot. The Adagios are very good speakers with excellent construction and looks,... but they also are overpriced. Also after 20 months of ownership, I have concluded, they need to be played on the loud side to sound their best...of course that may be me, or declining hearing which I don't believe I have yet. Good Luck, Jim
To answer your thread more specifically...and maybe radically, I would audition a pair of Martin Logan's Electro-Motion ESL speakers which retail for $2200. I have read some very positive press about them; they were the buzz at the January CES show in Vegas; but, I have not heard them yet... maybe in the a few weeks when visiting Los Angeles. The traditional shop talk about ML speakers is they require careful room placement, tend to lose imaging if you shift your head or stand up, and have a narrow sweet spot. However, when set-up correctly can sound incredibly boxless, and natural, at the same time accurate and with above average dynamics; it is worth a shot. The Adagios are very good speakers with excellent construction and looks,... but they also are overpriced. Also after 20 months of ownership, I have concluded, they need to be played on the loud side to sound their best...of course that may be me, or declining hearing which I don't believe I have yet. Good Luck, Jim