Among the speakers mentioned, I could recommend the Vandersteen 5As and the Eggleston Andra IIs. The latter really benefit from lots of power, in many cases using big solid state amps. For example, Parasound JC-1s make them come alive. I wouldn't assume your Thor monoblocks would work well with them, but they might.
I cannot recommend the Wisdoms, mainly due to the crossover which not only is extremely complicated (thousands of possible settings) but also veils the sound. Wisdoms also tend to be used with big solid state amps.
It's hard to change from dipole speakers such as Quads to moving coil speakers, given a good setup. You didn't say how much room treatment you have, but it's easy to overdo it and in doing so rob the music of life. Other than preventing slap echo if it exists and getting the bass right, there isn't much to do. The Sound Lab full range ESLs I sell work well in a wide range of rooms and don't require much treatment, and the larger models are rarely used with subwoofers. The sensory experience of full range ESL dipoles, especially in the bass, is quite different from that of cone woofers. With woofers you can get more chest thumping bass, whereas with the ESLs you hear the bass that tends to envelop you more. An ESL that extends well down into the 20's can make the hairs on your neck stand on end when hearing things such as tympani at fortissimo levels, and you experience the space of the venue.
Your square room presents a challenge. I suggest you want a speaker that is more independent of room nodes, especially in the bass. I suspect the Quad 988s may not work quite as well as hoped due to their radiating characteristics as virtual point sources. An option to consider is positioning your speakers 45 degrees diagonally across the room, if possible. It may sound far-fetched, but try it if you can.
If you're seeking maximum dynamics then I'd second the recommendation of the CAR speakers, especially with TAD drivers. It's a very different sound, but they're quite efficient and can play very loudly. With the right electronics they can work very well.
Brian
I cannot recommend the Wisdoms, mainly due to the crossover which not only is extremely complicated (thousands of possible settings) but also veils the sound. Wisdoms also tend to be used with big solid state amps.
It's hard to change from dipole speakers such as Quads to moving coil speakers, given a good setup. You didn't say how much room treatment you have, but it's easy to overdo it and in doing so rob the music of life. Other than preventing slap echo if it exists and getting the bass right, there isn't much to do. The Sound Lab full range ESLs I sell work well in a wide range of rooms and don't require much treatment, and the larger models are rarely used with subwoofers. The sensory experience of full range ESL dipoles, especially in the bass, is quite different from that of cone woofers. With woofers you can get more chest thumping bass, whereas with the ESLs you hear the bass that tends to envelop you more. An ESL that extends well down into the 20's can make the hairs on your neck stand on end when hearing things such as tympani at fortissimo levels, and you experience the space of the venue.
Your square room presents a challenge. I suggest you want a speaker that is more independent of room nodes, especially in the bass. I suspect the Quad 988s may not work quite as well as hoped due to their radiating characteristics as virtual point sources. An option to consider is positioning your speakers 45 degrees diagonally across the room, if possible. It may sound far-fetched, but try it if you can.
If you're seeking maximum dynamics then I'd second the recommendation of the CAR speakers, especially with TAD drivers. It's a very different sound, but they're quite efficient and can play very loudly. With the right electronics they can work very well.
Brian