Moved into a nice sized condo and after auditioning a whole bunch of speakers, the two best IMO were the ADS-810-II's and Yamaha 12 inch-3ways. I ended up spending more than I expected to on the 810's (stands, too).
I was warned against using a muscle amp, although
they did come with replaceable fuses to protect the tweeters (which i admit I blew out a couple of times). But they imaged really well and you could hear a LOT more detail (like more individual instruments in the orchestra). Plus unlike "better" more audiophile speakers of today, they forgave most every kind of music I played. I used cheap wire, listened to FM radio and a Thorens through an SAE-2 70W amp. Okay gear, well maintained, but average mid-fi at best. BUT
Everything sounded good- rock, jazz, Beethoven, everything. Of course much later on I began to want B&W speakers (20Hz bass!) and spent a lot of money and several years upgrading everything to get them to reach their full potential. But a huge mistake was the day I sold those wonderful (mint) 810's for $300! And now it seems everyone wants them.
I was warned against using a muscle amp, although
they did come with replaceable fuses to protect the tweeters (which i admit I blew out a couple of times). But they imaged really well and you could hear a LOT more detail (like more individual instruments in the orchestra). Plus unlike "better" more audiophile speakers of today, they forgave most every kind of music I played. I used cheap wire, listened to FM radio and a Thorens through an SAE-2 70W amp. Okay gear, well maintained, but average mid-fi at best. BUT
Everything sounded good- rock, jazz, Beethoven, everything. Of course much later on I began to want B&W speakers (20Hz bass!) and spent a lot of money and several years upgrading everything to get them to reach their full potential. But a huge mistake was the day I sold those wonderful (mint) 810's for $300! And now it seems everyone wants them.