Alta Alec vs Legacy Signature SE vs Elac Vela 408.2

I purchased a pair of Signature SE two years ago.  Prior to that I had a pair of Legacy Audio Classic HD.  Always regretted not going with the Signatures right from the start,  but the factory gave me a really generous trade in deal. Sound characteristics between the two are very similar,  but the Signatures just have "more " of everything.  The dual AMT provide really clear and detailed mid range and highs. Bass is well controlled but plenty of it; never bloated.  However,  my real hot buttons are soundstage and imaging.  And the Signatures really come through here. The soundstage is wide and deep,  with really great 3d imaging.  I listen to a lot of classical,  and individual instrument placement in the orchestra really stands out, as does tremendous detail. I  also listen to a lot of blues,  and here the voices really sound lifelike and present.  I attend quite a few live performances,  so I am well aware of what live music sounds like.  And while you are never going to achieve the exact sound of a live performance,  these Signatures come pretty close. I am driving them with mostly PS Audio electronics,  including a Direcstream DAC Mk1  moded by APS Transformers (Jeff Richards). Hope this helps. 

@gickcf I’ve got the Alta Audio Alec’s.  Have had them for about 3 years now.  Prior  I had Focal 1028BE floor standers which had a Beryllium Tweeter.  I wanted to love the Focal, at the time Focal had changed up their line up, they discontinued the 1028 / 1038’s which had the same tweeter medium / woofer medium used in their top of the line, flag ship speakers, making them great value within a well established speaker company making everything in house.  
 

What I found with the Focal’s was on many recordings the highs overpowered everything else, cause listening fatigue.  With the right recording, they sounded breathtaking, unbelievable, with most recordings I couldn’t listen for a long period of time and to get the blend of bass, mids and highs, had to crank the volume up which only accelerated the listening fatigue. 
 

My impression of the Alex’s is a fuller sound, the highs are still very detailed, imaging is fantastic.  Based on the design, the bass presence is, we’ll present, it’s a highlight of the speaker design.  What I’ve found is the speakers will accentuate bass differently based on the recording, all speakers do this but I find the difference in recordings to be more substantial than I have with other speakers and I equate that to how they are tuned. They also are a speaker that sounds best when you are in the “sweet spot” they don’t disperse sound quite like some other speakers will off axis and finding the placement to balance the high and low frequencies took more time than with other speakers.

I don’t have today but did have a Primaluna Evo 400 integrated that I drove them with.  It was a really nice pairing, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.  I now run them with a solid state amp, Krell 300XD, the extra control gained from the amp design kicked the speaker performance up a notch but they sounded great with the Primaluna as well. 
 

They aren’t a speaker for you if you go by measurements of their performance and are chasing a speaker that reproduces the sound exactly as recorded.  They were designed with the concept of looking at the speaker as an instrument that was “tuned” to what sounded best, not what measured best, it’s at the core of how the designer designed and implemented things, that to some creates a big issue as it is a t different philosophy to speaker design.  Some also point to the midrange lacking some details due to being 2 way, I have never found that to be the case but outside of the trial period, I haven’t compared them to other speakers.  
 

I can’t comment on the other speakers you’ve got on the list as I don’t have any experience with them.  
 

I like a warmer sound signature, these speakers have a great balance between the tweeter and woofer, the tweeter has the sparkle, images really well but without the harshness, it isn’t warm in and of itself just never harsh.  The design of the woofer, transmission line blended with the tweeter presents as what some would call warm but without the negatives that come with a warmer speakers, no veil, lack of detail. 
 

Hope this helps, good luck, exciting times, looking at new speakers! 

Great input from all. Every time I think I've decided, I'm pulled back onto the fence. lol

That said, I'm currently leaning toward the Alecs. Everything I read or hear suggests they are somewhat different, or maybe the better word is special, in some hard to articulate way. I think I have a better idea of what the Signatures will give me and if I buy them, they'll almost certainly stay. I'm more curious about the Alecs and if for whatever reason they don't work for me, I can send them back and get the Signatures. And I don't need the speakers to play really loudly. I tend to listen at modest volumes. 

Interesting that kmcong upgraded within the Legacy family, a strong endorsement. 

Keep us posted, if you go with the Alex’s would be curious as to what your thoughts are. 
 

Thanks, 

Been using the Legacys for a decade and never looked back. Legacy itself does not recommend tube amplification unless it's very high end. High current is a must. I am currently using CODA amp with 40 watts of pure Class A into 4 ohms and 100 amps peak current. The Class A gives you a warmth equivalent to tubes, while the  current tames recordings with huge, bloated bass. No longer use subs because, well, the Signature SEs are truly full-range. Like OP, I have old ears and wouldn't trade the spectacular bass for anything. FWIW.