Your post really piqued my interest as I had a pair of Aerial 7B's until very recently. They were part of a (dare I say) home theater system complete with the Aerial SW-12 sub, Aerial CCS center channel and Aerial surrounds. After 25 years of chasing the "Absolute Sound" I decided to chuck it and get into A/V and just use the L & R speakers for stereo listening using my Marantz A/V processor phono section and my 5 channel Sunfire amp. It was a big compromise but I'd had enough of chasing the dragon. Fast forward 20 years... Just this past January I got the bug again and decided to jump back in to the fray. I built a dedicated room for both audio and video and decided to upgrade.
I won't get into the video side of things but I did purchase a new cartridge, pre amp, amp, cables and connectors specifically for stereo listening only. While awaiting delivery of my new speakers (Vandersteen Treo CT's) I hooked up the new system to my Aerial 7B's. Wow, what a difference. I'd never heard them sound so good. It was so satisfying that I wondered how the "comparably" priced Vandersteens could result in any real improvement. The Aerials were and still are a fine and very well built speaker.
I have now replaced the Aerials with the Vandy's and Wow again. I couldn't believe the amazing resolution I was hearing. I'm glad I made the change but I still can't part with my 7B's. They're just sitting in a corner now but they are such a beautiful example of engineering and build quality that I can't seem to part with them just yet.
Anyway, it looks like you are prepared to spend far more on a speaker upgrade than I so I wish you luck. The Aerial's were fantastic in their day and still hold their own but I'm sure you'll find something newer that will open your ears to an even better listening experience. Good hunting!
I won't get into the video side of things but I did purchase a new cartridge, pre amp, amp, cables and connectors specifically for stereo listening only. While awaiting delivery of my new speakers (Vandersteen Treo CT's) I hooked up the new system to my Aerial 7B's. Wow, what a difference. I'd never heard them sound so good. It was so satisfying that I wondered how the "comparably" priced Vandersteens could result in any real improvement. The Aerials were and still are a fine and very well built speaker.
I have now replaced the Aerials with the Vandy's and Wow again. I couldn't believe the amazing resolution I was hearing. I'm glad I made the change but I still can't part with my 7B's. They're just sitting in a corner now but they are such a beautiful example of engineering and build quality that I can't seem to part with them just yet.
Anyway, it looks like you are prepared to spend far more on a speaker upgrade than I so I wish you luck. The Aerial's were fantastic in their day and still hold their own but I'm sure you'll find something newer that will open your ears to an even better listening experience. Good hunting!