Have loved the Maggies 1.6 for years, I think they are the best value in their line up as well. I was all set to buy a pair until I happened to hear VSA JR4's. All a matter of taste of course but they gave me the air and speed of the Maggies with the added botton end. They cost more than the maggies, but in my case worth the extra money. Would still like to own a pair of maggies one day. But for the here and now very happy with the JR4's.
Anything better than Magnepan 1.6?
So, its been out for something like 9 years, but it still seems to be absolute top of the line. I also see the Dali Ikon 6 which seems to have amazing pinpoint staging accuracy. The same recording of a female Jazz singer has a mouht the size of a woman on the Ikon 6 and maybe 5 feet wide, maybe 4, on the Magnepan. Which is a positive thing for much music, that 'wall of sound' thing they do. And it has a much, much better sense of 'air' with the combo ribbon tweeter and dome than most box speakers.
Anything else I should consider? Even up to 3k? In that range, after having Maggies since 1988, speakers like the appropriate B&W and similar don't seem to compare in my opinion at all - I guess its a planar thing. The sound is so obviously coming from a little box! Just can't do it. I love Thiel in general, but in this price range I don't get enough volume.
What about Innersound Isis? I might be able to get a used pair? Tight sweetspot annoying to me, I often have people over to listen to music with me.
Oh - and I don't care about Bass below 80 Hz and possibly a bit higher, but 120, absolute top of 160 might be okay if everything else is outstanding. I already have a VTF-3 HO Hsu subwoofer with turbo.
I listen to almost everything, so that is of no help. If I had to chosoe one to focus on, I'd choose classical, but I listen to a lot of Shostakovitch for example, which is basically heavy metal in classical, so an accurate speaker that doesn't punch you a little won't work.