Revel or Aerial

I was under the impression that the M51 was on the way. If that's the case, by all means, give it a chance. If you haven't bought one yet, I agree with Ejlif's post. The importance of a good preamp can't be overstated.

I would wait until you get your M51. There's a very good chance that you'll get what you are asking for with that in place. You're right on the preamp. Its very important to get that right or your system just won't come together and sound like it should.

The Aerial's are very different than what you have. Unless you can demo them, I don't think its worth taking a chance. It sounds like you are almost where you want to be. A speaker change may be overkill. Reading your description of your Revel's, it appears that you are very happy with them. I say don't get rid of them until you know you are replacing them with something you definitely like better.

Most dealers will have no problem with you bringing your speakers into the store. If you can do that it will make your search much easier.

"I started this thread in hopes of getting a sense of the best way forward. Studio 2s or Aerial 7s; stay with the F208s and improve the source/electronics? My goal is more detail/clarity. My priorities have always been soundstaging and imaging."

If that's your goal, I would suggest that you seriously consider upgrading something else other than your speakers. Both Revel and Aerial get imaging and clarity right. In order to do that, though, the rest of the system has to be up to the task. Electronics are every bit as important as the speakers when it comes to those two qualities. Looking at the rest of your system, I would get either a new preamp or CD player first. There's nothing wrong with either of them, its just that they fall short of your stated goal for upgrading. It doesn't really matter what kind of speakers you have. If the rest of your system can't take advantage of what the speakers can do, you won't hear them at their true potential.