Buggtussel Solitarious vs Amygdala

i would audition speakers other than 7 inch ported or transmission line designs if bass other than mid bass is a priority.

Sedona,

I 2nd Jrd351 whole-heartedly!
If you are looking for clean, tight bass then forget about TL & reflex ported speakers! What you want to restrict yourself to is a sealed box design. The sealed box woofer has fast, clean & tight bass. It runs into problems when you are listening at 105dB SPL levels (ear-bleeding levels!) so practically, it will not be a problem.
Buggtussel is a good speaker from what I read but it does not rock i.e. it seems to be best suited for Jazz & classical. It seems that it cannot handle Blues & rock very well.
Of course, you need to let the forum know just how much priority bass has over the other audio spectrum. Is it an absolute must or are you willing to sacrifice some & how much. Depending on your answer, some ported & TL designs might work for despite what I wrote above. FWIW, IMHO.

I am not looking to 'feel the carpet shake' more importantly, I want a good blend so the bass doesn't overwhelm. I'm getting very close to the big 50 and find myself listening to more jazz and acoustical, and yet, I still occasionally fire up some classic rock.
I once owned the Von Schweikert VR4 Gen III and loved the speaker - had to sell for financial reasons. One reason I am considering the new VR2. I also am considering Tyler Acoustics 7U -- any others speakers to consider in that range? Above all, I am staying with American made speakers.
Thanks for the input.

the vr2 would be the best of the ones you are considering for overall presentation.

I disagree with Bombay a bit, I have had the Amygdala's in my house and my concensus has always been that it is a good rock speaker, look for my previous replies, but I think others are more refined.

Sedona,

OK, I understand.
Besides considering the "known Devil" i.e. Von Schweikert, I would also highly recommend:-
* Green Mountain Audio Europa. This is a 2-way book shelf speaker that plays like a floor stander! It sells for $880/pair. Web site is www.greenmountainaudio.com
I have the C1.5i 3-way. These are absolutely fantastic. They are time-aligned, minimal phase speakers. The tweeter is a soft-dome but it plays like a ribbon tweeter. Totally non-fatiguing sound & incredible bass that always seems to be in-sync w/ the music. Never too much & never overstaying its welcome.
* Vandersteen 3A or 3A Signature. These are much like the Green Mountain design except that it can be a bit more laid back. Website is www.vandersteen.com
I have heard the Model 5A but I didn't think much of it - maybe the room acoustics or maybe the amp-speaker combination or maybe the speaker cables or maybe something else! Thus I think that the 3A Sig. might be better value.
The speaker is not much to look at externally but let that look not fool you!

The diff. bwtn GMA & Vandersteen sound is that the former draws you into the music i.e. you get personally involved. The latter can be recessed a bit; as in sitting in Row 20 rather than Row 2. However, other users tell me that by changing the amp characteristc they can make the Vandersteen sound more involving. I cannot comment on this 'cuz I never tried it!
FWIW.IMHO. YMMV.

I want to thank everyone for their response and comments - for many reasons to numerous to go into I purchased a pair of the Von Schweikert VR2's - should have them in a week or so - I think the only Buggtussel I would have been happy with would have been the Amygdala and the price was twice what I paid for the VR2's - didn't think paying twice the amount of money would give me twice the amount of enjoyment. I hope I keep these for awhile.
Thanks to all who responded.