Do my ears deceive me??

I'd hold and see if you could demo what you like where you could tweak the eq. on those B&Ws'....  Nothing worse than buyers' remorse. ;)

There's been improvements, but generally in the $s' required for the desire.

A 'v' tweak preferred?   Won't ask your age, but have your ears checked, just because....  Sometimes, the eq is due to the final link in the 'system'... i.e.,

You.  Just saying...(..and not to be rude...)

J

Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G's

Polk L600's

Try both sets; choose one set.

Enough said.

Your welcome.

Volti Razz would be worth a consideration. All the dynamics one needs, refined, efficient and beautiful. If you were closer to NE Ohio I be happy to host. 

  That pair of alto utopias listed is intriguing.   But they weigh 170lbs and are probably too big for the room.  I would love to hear them, but not move them.

Sadly, no Harbeth dealers in MN that I know of.    Similarly, the reviews of ATC seem to be really good for dynamics, but no dealers here.   

I owned Def Tech BP2006's and went from there to the Mythos ST-L Super Tower. The STLs blew away the 2006's, but while the ST-L's had very good highs and lows, they lacked good mid-range.

I moved to Harbeth and REL. Leaps and bounds better for what I listen too.

My point is, if what you are listening to isn't any better than the 2006's, you are auditioning the wrong speakers. 

If classic rock is your thing, I'd be looking at something with a big driver like Tannoy.  

@fenderu2  for what it's worth I design my systems around my speakers and believe in that philosophy. I use Duntech and Dunlavy which are by no means modern but I believe have no equal. I've got to think there are many fantastic speakers available for your budget. Speakers that are phase and time coherent would be my choice. Vanderstein,  Snell, Theil , Dunlavy and  Duntech have these attributes. There may be others I'm sure, but in my opinion these are key attributes. Ditch the mx multichannel amp and and go for a true 2 channel. Pass labs, PS Audio... the rabbit hole is deep my friend. Peace and work hard to educate yourself and research for the best result.

@mofojo ”In what way have speakers had a tremendous advancement in the last 20 years,… Your Sonus Fabers are all paper driver… nothing new.?”

In sound quality performance. Saying Sonus Faber speakers use paper cones is a gross abstraction. It is like saying how a 286 PC chip no different than a contemporary PC chip… they are both on silicon substrate. The amount of technology is in the design and execution.

If you listen to a 20 year old set of say $20K speakers versus a contemporary set of same priced (in dollars corrected to 2003 dollars) the difference in sound quality is simply striking… tighter bass, better imaging, better more real sounding treble. In all components. For example, I remember replacing my 15 year old Threshold amp with a contemporary Pass amp… my jaw just dropped, very similar specifications, similar weight, form factor, but the sound quality nearly brought tears to my eyes.

This is the way to evaluate advancement in high end audio… listen to it. If you listen to it and you are not blown away, that is great… keep what you have. But, when you listen to what is now possible versus 20 years ago and want better more realistic sound, the case for new stuff that caters to your values in sound is overwhelmingly compelling.

I hear ya curtdr.  But it is time to move up.   I don't buy/trade every 3 or 4 years like some.    I'm 51 and have a good amount of other money invested.  Whatever I buy will most likely be for 10 years or more.   But I do gotta buy it right the 1st time.  

soix.   I do need an equalizer.   I tip the treble and bass up on most music.   And even sometimes from song to song.   In my cars I've had alpine head units and subwoofers, and am always adjusting the bass a bit for each song.   Not that I'm a bass head, but I at least like to feel it a little bit, even on songs where bass isn't prominent.  While it may not be accurate, I much prefer it.   When I dropped off my 836's for repair, I demoed a Hegel with Paradigm founders 120 and medium end Kefs, and I was perplexed as to how this sounded good.  There was no air in the voices and it just didn't sound clear.   You could be right about maybe just doing a stand alone preamp.   But there could be times when  I do want surround.   Plus it would leave my 5 channel amp with 3 being unused.   

once they're fixed... THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH YOUR SPEAKERS...!   

You have good gear that you love.  Keep it, cherish it, nurture it.

Be happy you have a sound that's great for your ears. 

I'm right with you: I recently did some auditioning and nothing sounded more appealing to me than what I already had!  Save the money.  Don't give in to upgrade-itis for no other reason than you have money in your pocket!  Be careful of watching reviews and even going on this forum... those are the seeds of discontent, and many on here just like to think spending more gets you more, and that's simply not the case, especially when you already have good stuff that you like.  Getting new stuff tends to lead to further discontent and then chasing other new stuff, forever and ever amen.  

Invest that $6000 into mutual funds, some no load total stock index fund , and let it ride and down the road you'll be glad you did.

    Heard Vandersteens at Audio Perfection about 20 years ago.   They were good, but didn't really seem to bump on rock and roll.  Maybe they're much better now.   Will check them out.   When I bought my Mcintosh MX 134 in 2003, it was only like $3,300.   Prior to that it was Denon or Yamaha receivers, so to me the Mcintosh was a big step up, and I've loved it ever since.   I do have it setup for 5.1, but my rears are just outdoor Klipsch speakers from a previous house.  I kind of like movies, but not to the degree I did 10 to 20 years ago.   I'm fairly content with just listening to movies in 2 channel, cuz it sounds pretty good.   I have also looked at a new processor and/or receiver with Atmos.  But I doubt I'm gonna do 7 or more channels, as the system is in a bedroom. 

 I'm semi tempted to try an Arcam AVR-20, as they are discounted, and most people say they sound a quite a bit better than Denon/marantz/anthem for music.   But there is also a lot of complaints about buggyness and reliability with them.    A used Mcintosh MX 122 or 123 also piques my interest.  I'm pretty sure I could be happy enough with a receiver/processor if the stereo sound is about equal to my 134.   I most likely will buy either speakers this year, and a receiver/processor next year.   Or vice versa.   

You really shouldn’t need an equalizer, and the McIntosh is doing you no favors given your tastes. I’d first look for a new preamp, which I’d first recommend you look at Anthem.  If you’re using EQ something is likely wrong elsewhere.  That said, I’d say stay with Focal or take a look at Revel.  But, if you change the preamp first I think you’ll be much happier.  The McIntosh is working against you given your tastes and you’re fighting to correct for that mismatch.  That’s not fun and I’d say stop beating your head against the wall.  If you need an AVP I’d highly recommend you look at Anthem, but if you just need a stereo pre Bryston should be high on your list.  Best of luck.

I would say ditch the old speakers and buy something way more expensive

see if you can find an owner or dealer of Vandersteen speakers

Yep.  I hear ya Tom on the 10%.  Gonna keep demoing and hopefully find something that blows me away.   I've saved a lot of money the last 3 years, partially thanks to covid, so maybe I just have to accept that a 10 to 20 percent improvement is good enough.  Obviously I keep my stuff for the long haul.   $5,000 to $7,000 over a 10 year span could warrant the purchase.  Plus the right brands and models can hold some or a lot of their value. 

            Years ago, I was semi tempted to move up to Focal Electras, and they were a lot cheaper 3 to 8 years ago than they are now.  WIth covid kind of ending, hopefully supply chains will get back to normal.   Had I bought those electras  back then, I could have broke even, or even maybe made a little money.  So I am not averse to going the used route too.   

Embarked?

@fenderu2 It looks like you answered your own question. Cherish what you have and don’t get embarked by the hype. 

OP-

I know there are diminishing returns the higher up the food chain we go, but I really want to make sure I don't spend $4,000 to $8,000 for something that's maybe 20% better.

You'll spend that much but only get 10% better. Maybe...

I’ve only read about Monitor audio, and from the reviews, think I would love them. But don’t have a close by place to demo them GoldenEar will be on the audition list in the next couple weeks. I need the clarify from my 1st post. The B and W’s I liked the most at Best Buy were the 702 S 3’s. About $7,000 for the pair. They really sounded a lot brighter than the others, and I seem to like that. Not sibilant, but clear. Will need to demo for much longer time to see if they get fatiguing. Although, many consider Focal fatiguing, I listen to my 836 for hours each day and never get tired from them. Stilll waiting to find out the repair bill on my 836’s. Maybe I just have to be content with them for a few more years. I will admit, I’m just kind of bored, and since I’ve owned my gear for so long, maybe I’m looking for that new toy. Maybe I’m expecting things have gotten better, when there is not much difference. I will say, it is kind of amazing how much bass they can get out of small speakers now That seems like the biggest technological advancement I’ve seen. But not necessarily better sound overall 

      I know there are diminishing returns the higher up the food chain we go, but I really want to make sure I don't spend $4,000 to $8,000 for something that's maybe 20% better.   

You might like Monitor Audio...

Also I agree about Goldenear. They make some killer stuff.

There are people saying that Focal drivers aren't built to the same standard as they used to. i.e. They're cheaping out on the parts. Maybe it's worth looking at driver quality and cabinet construction over the years. But why bother? 

@mofojo 

In what way have speakers had a tremendous advancement in the last 20 years? Revel Salon 2 are over 15 years old and are still considered better than most anything according to plenty. Your Sonus Fabers are all paper driver… nothing new. I’m sure they sound fabulous but it’s quality and voicing not necessarily new tech that is groundbreaking.

My perspective as well. I realize it’s a matter of opinion but I don’t hear any “tremendous “ improvement in speakers over the past 20 years timeframe. I will concede that there’s been a turn toward the direction of pursuing and extraction of greater detail.

This can result in a different sonic presentation and signature and yet not necessarily sounding better in an overall sense. For some listeners the hyper detailed sound will be considered a “tremendous “ improvement. For other listeners, not so.

Charles
 

If you enjoy the sound of the Def Tech, maybe check out GoldenEar audio?

I believe they are the same designer. GEA is just the “newer” company with the latest designs.

@fac Isn't that the question that you've asked about one hundred times on your own thread?

so the techmology doesnt advanced??

In what way have speakers had a tremendous advancement in the last 20 years? Revel Salon 2 are over 15 years old and are still considered better than most anything according to plenty. Your Sonus Fabers are all paper driver… nothing new. I’m sure they sound fabulous but it’s quality and voicing not necessarily new tech that is groundbreaking. Many think the Dynaudio speakers in the 90s were the best they ever made although horribly inefficient. Same with the Sonus Faber Extrema and many others. 

Speakers have made tremendous advancement in the last 20 years, as have electronics. But not all folks want different. If you are really happy with the sound of what you had, then maybe just stick with it.

Alternatively, you could go audition systems in some high end audio stores. Don’t be concerned with price. See if anything blows you away. If it does… look down the speaker companies product range to your budget. Do those sound fantastic? If not. Just enjoy your system.

Pursuing the high end is expensive and not for everyone.

The 2006's are Definitives.