Legacy constantly changes their drivers this is well established. It is almost like a game try this and try that so it makes it hard to system match with something that changes so often. In addition, if you have been around awhile you will notice they had a terrible time trying to maintain dealerships because some were selling them for 20-30 % off. This created a quick depreciation of the product. In fact, while it was kind of cozy many of dealers were peoples houses were the primary guy did something else for a living. I heard my first Legacy's at the factory in Springfield. Then tried to tie up with a dealer in Chicago (something like Dr. Joes and ....?). He was a physician that you could never reach. So I listened to mine at the house of psychiatrist in Milwaukee. As goofy as all this may seem this was only 6 years ago. With a support team like this imagine what you would be getting even if they had beautiful water plots of their sonic spectrum. If you really like to Rock and Roll the Legacy's are the equivalent of gift from the heavens. Very dynamic to be sure. Legacy people are nice on the phone and really care about the furniture quality of their cabinets. I wish them well but they could be better managed. Many are a high end company that bit off more than it could chew (do well) and are not around any more. But if you familar with how music played at ear preserving levels by real instruments you would do your self a service and listen to some of the new B&W Nautilus Line, Dunlevy offerings, Status Gold i are a very good value and well rounded speaker, Theil 3.6 or 2.3 are accuracy freaks that require a near arc welder to run but are beautiful sounding. Listen in a good sized (your room looks like a good starting dimension) room that is appropriately sonicly treated. Bring some Stereophile room and speaker testing CDs so you can begin to get a common reference point and also bring the type of music you like to listen to and keep it the same from audition to audition. If possible, bring your own equipment including cables (power cables on upstream equipment, cd players etc, can make a significant difference. Try out Synergistic AC Master Coupler, any of the Power Snake line, and MIT and Harmonic Tech on the lower cost end (even you just want to see what you are missing). Cables are in effect tone controls that definitely add their own sonic signature. Also, call up the customer support of any company you plan to buy something from and tell them you have 15-20 year old models of theirs and wonder if they supply exact parts. Not only check if this is true but how quick and nice they are in doing it. Call up Audio Research in Minnesota sometime. Anytime, any day. You will find out one additional reason why they can make it on their own and Madrigal and McIntosh needed the help of Japanese car radio or mass market manufacturers to stay afloat. Cyperworld is not the real world and lets support companies that produce world class products followed up by even better service, advice, and service. If not, we will all eventually be listening to whatever the monopolies decide we need and not what is possible with freedom of a quick,advanced small group of thinkers like at Audio Research. As you can tell this hobby is a passion for many of us and we all of our ideas but we should help it survive past the home threatre cycle (where small companies can not afford to invest in never ending cycles of new formats: Check out the percent of original sale value of a 5-15 year old Audio Research Tube Amp or Preamp vs Pioneer, Levinson, Harman Karmon, Theta home threatre or other digital processor that is 2-5 years old. Happy listening!
