Speakers with many drivers...

For best soundstage and imaging I like driver configurations that emulate a line source or ideally even approximate a point source while listening best. Configurations that diverge from a line or point source are more problematic in regards to soundstage, imaging, and coherency.

Directional line arrays that emulate a line source tend to be large and expensive to do well.

I am a fan of the Walsh driver which emulates an omnidirectional point source using a single highly phase coherent wide range driver. The most cost effective implementation of Walsh drivers over the years have come from OHM Acoustics.

Here is another source of speakers using the latest techniques and materials to produce a fairly cost effective near full range Walsh driver based speaker system:

http://www.hhr-exoticspeakers.com/

I think these would fit the questions asked;Dali Megaline's.If you want to see them check out Albert Porter's system.

I actually like the XRT-28s from McIntosh. I heard them in an extended session at a dealer in AZ a few years back driven by all McIntosh electronics. While it has been quite a while since I heard them, I still remember being in awe as to just how good they sounded that day. I know there are many haters out there (and I respect their opinions), but this is one fan who would love to get my hands on at least the XRT-28s. :-)

---Dave

The best sounding speaker I have owned with multiple drivers is the ESP Concert Grand. There is a nice pair of Concert Grands advertised on Audiogon. The original price was $40,000.

I think the McIntosh speakers would be a nightmare to integrate properly . I haven't heard them but those who have that I know haven't been very kind to their sonics. In the past I owned the Mirage M1s that had six drivers per side, three in the front and three in the back making them bipolar. It had problem with woofer integration although is cast a huge soundstage with realistic imaging. I owned my share of big speakers but now I have found a properly designed two way are more coherent and realistic at the volume levels I listen to. Speakers with many drivers sound huge but imaging tend to suffer.

There's gotta be a reason that Pipedreams are so much money...

Talk with Rick Craig @ Selah Audio.