I longed to hear speakers of differing technology, hence differing sound which is an issue beyond quality. It was the inability of one speaker to meet all these desires to hear radically different presentations which prompted me to struggle with the question I have posed.Doug, I think I see what you are getting at, but I would not express it in terms of whether technology trumps quality or vice versa. If I understand correctly, you are saying that all speakers within your price range have shortcomings that are significant to you (and that's probably true in any price range), and so the question is should you get two sets of lesser speakers whose limitations will be complementary, or should you get one set of better speakers and accept its limitations in the interests of better overall sound.
For most people I would think that having two sets of speakers to be used in their main system is a non-starter, due to physical practicalities. And I think most people who could manage both alternatives would go for the single set of better speakers.
But I have another idea. Buy a single set of speakers that are as good as possible for all around use, and a good pair of headphones that are based on the desired alternate technology. For instance, dynamic speakers and electrostatic headphones (such as the Stax's). That obviously won't be the solution for everyone, but it has worked nicely for me!
Happy 2010!
-- Al