auditioned linn and monitor audio speakers last year when putting together my current system. i thought the monitor audios imaged better than the linns, but that the linns had a warmer, more musical sound.
i was in a similar situation to you and asked about the monitor audios on one of the web forums (either audiogon or audioasylum). i received a few comments noting that the monitor audio build quality isn't up to par for the price (if you do a keyword search for monitor audio on these sites, you may still find the thread). please realize that i haven't torn these speakers apart myself and I'm just passing on what I heard, but the poster seemed quite knowledgable. That said, the monitor audios sounded good to my ears.
in the end, i ended up getting thiels (i bought the cs 2.3s, but the cs 1.3s were more in the price range of the linns/Monitor audios that i was auditioning). i found the thiels to image better than both and to have a deeper soundstage. that said, the thiels need to be driven by lots of power, and i'm not sure how good of a match they'd be with the b&k. also, even though i like my thiels, i sometimes long for the more musical sound of the linns.
in the linn/monitor audio range, you also might want to audition Paradigm or PSB speakers
hope this helps
i was in a similar situation to you and asked about the monitor audios on one of the web forums (either audiogon or audioasylum). i received a few comments noting that the monitor audio build quality isn't up to par for the price (if you do a keyword search for monitor audio on these sites, you may still find the thread). please realize that i haven't torn these speakers apart myself and I'm just passing on what I heard, but the poster seemed quite knowledgable. That said, the monitor audios sounded good to my ears.
in the end, i ended up getting thiels (i bought the cs 2.3s, but the cs 1.3s were more in the price range of the linns/Monitor audios that i was auditioning). i found the thiels to image better than both and to have a deeper soundstage. that said, the thiels need to be driven by lots of power, and i'm not sure how good of a match they'd be with the b&k. also, even though i like my thiels, i sometimes long for the more musical sound of the linns.
in the linn/monitor audio range, you also might want to audition Paradigm or PSB speakers
hope this helps