Best speakers for Mcintosh MA 6500


I am diving headlong into (for me) upper audiophilia. i have recently purchased a Mcintosh MA 6500 integrated amp after living for many years with a Hafler 9180 amp and Hafler 945 preamp. This all started out when i blew out my Celestion SL5 speakers and was just going to upgrade speakers, then I realized that if I were to get better speakers then I should probably upgrade at amp too.........and that's how this all gets started, right? The dog chases his own tail. Anyway, for speakers, I have listened to and thoroughly enjoyed B & W Nautilus 805's - their sound really leapt out me and sounded SO good to my ears. But I have been reading many laudatory reviews of the Dynaudio Contour 1.3 MK II and the Harbeth Compact 7ES 2. I have not yet listened to these, but I am trying to. Are there any others I should consider? Of these which do you think might give me years of the most enjoyment? (I am an eclectic listener - classical, opera, old timey country, bob dylan, etc) And as I probably will not buy another pair of speakers for many years, I want these to be special.

Thanks,

Cordell
j_cordell
Take a look at Shahinian speakers, especially the Obelisk (www.shahinianacoustics.com). I started with these speakers with my MA 6500, after listening to the B&Ws, Dynaudios, among other speakers, and later upgraded to a McIntosh-combo and other Shahinian-speakers
I think the Vandersteens are a fantastic value. I drive a pair of 3A Signatures with a MAC MA-6900 with terrific results.

You can't go wrong with Vandy's. You could pick up an old pair of model 3's here for cheap, and have them shipped directly to the factory for a complete rebuild to 3A Signature, with new grill cloths, boxes, etc. and end up with essentially like-new 3's.