Requesting Advice on Speaker Upgrade

I should add that I really liked the KEF LS50's I heard with a tube amp and jazz. Can't imagine I would love with rock, but for it's size, I thought it was a good buy ... and I say that because at the time, I had found someone selling a pair for a grand. I wouldn't pay retail.

@kenwood61  Thanks for explaining.  Helps me understand a little more about the Wharfedales.  I really like Quad's aesthetics and there are good deals out there for the 11Ls and 12Ls.  Really wish I could demo them locally though.  But oh well!

Kef LS50s are great too!  I demoed them at a local shop listening to jazz.  They were very musical.  Without a grille, and the high gloss finish, I am hesitant to have those with my 18 month old around.  That said, I have read that the Kef R100s share similar specs as the LS50s, but offer a wood cabinet and grille. 

Thanks again for all your input!

Speakers... speakers... I've owned JBL's [many, including Professional], Altec's [James Lansing's brother] and Professional, Wharfedales, ESS, Thonet & Vander's [German], Monsoon's, home made speaker's often with JBL parts, and much more.. then bluetooth's like more JBL's and Benq's.. [Benq's are electrostatic's with woofer's]..  floor electrostatics like Acoustat ESL's which were airy..  As several other's here like JBL's and Vandersteen's, I agree, though they're boxed..  

Magnepan's, starting at 600$ for entry level or maybe $250 up used, are very good, and have that airy sound, but lack some bass..[they are dipole speakers, like Eminent Technology's and Monsoon's, sounding superb]. These speakers, sound a bit like electrostatic's, and some like Eminent Technology's use woofers.. You may also look at expensive Apogee's, but their impedance often goes down to 1 ohm, and few amps can drive them. Apogee's and Martin Logan's are a cross, using woofers and often electrostatic mid's and high's, like Monsoon's and Eminent Technology planars or panels..

Recently, in the last few day's.. I journeyed back to Quad ESL's, much like my former Acoustat's.. Without ever hearing a Quad, and with a lot of experience reading about them in forum's [there are whole Quad forum's, discussing 57's, 63's, 988's, 989's and later, often with the comment of "Quad XX is the best speaker ever made"], I ordered Quad ESL's. Much more expensive, even used, because they retain value, and older 57's are several time's more than retail when first made. A large part of Quad's sound, is that they're already powered by in-the-wall chargers, and hence the amp, doesn't take that much to drive them.. around 15 to 25 watts, on up..

My Quad's will be driven by AR tube gear. So when they arrive, I'll get the best sound, Quad's driven by AR's preamp and amp, with sources of FM by Dynalab, CD and computer, using a DAC for analogue listening.. Later I'll add a turntable, but have to research which are best, in these forums..

If you've not purchase yet, Quads, even used, may be best, and retain value.. The rest of your system, can then "catch up" to the Quads.. Later, you can discuss what amps, tubed or SS, drive Quad's best.. No matter what you do, electrostatics, planars, panels or dipoles, will keep calling you back..

You've gotten lots of great info. 
@bomd, are there any Vandy dealers near you? It would behoove you to give them a listen. 
Quad's and Maggie's are both fine speakers. If I weren't a Vandy fanboy, I would have them in my listening room, but since I have limited space, they will have to wait.
I will say that I had a pair of Zu Union (Omen predecessors), and when run with a pair of Atma MA-1's and MP-3, the sound was pretty darned close to my Vandy Treo's (I did have them hooked up to the Vandy 2w subs at the time). The Vandy's had a better dispersion and presentation, but they also cost a lot more.
Bob