The Horror

You have some excellent components!  I also have Magnepan 1.7i's in my system, and have owned other Maggies over the years.  I totally agree with the folks who indicate that you need to spend time with your setup and room. My system is in a small, dedicated listening room that contains only one chair.  I've always found Maggies to be a "one listener" speaker. I have spent literally years in my room tweaking things as basic as toe-in to optimize image specificity vs. width of soundstage.  An inch or two can make all of the difference with the setup of these speakers.   From your system photos I see some glaring issues.  For example, one of your photos shows a speaker firing directly into the side of your sectional couch with a book shelf adjacent to it piled high with books.  That's gotta be wreaking havoc with what you're receiving from that speaker in your listening position.  The speakers are also very close to reflective walls behind them.  Due to the size of my listening room, I can only have my speakers about 3 feet out from the wall, but have room treatment behind each speaker to compensate for that.  Maggies can be very tricky and frustrating to get properly set up, but when you get it right their magic is intoxicating.  Best of luck!

Yes, today you will need to spend at least $20K on speakers to get large sound like you heard at the show. You can save a bit if you go with professional speakers from brands like Genelec, PMC, ATC, but have to give up nice furniture style appearance, though they commonly come with embedded power amplifiers. For analog electronic I would only choose between two brands: Luxman and Accuphase, and here you can save again buying few years old devices directly from Japan. I am not believer in cables and you will make more difference in sound by adding sound treatment in your room. I never was a fan of Magnepan and did not find even their biggest models sound compelling.

ap1….

I can certainly understand your not appreciating what Maggies can do for your personal listening pleasure. However, when you limit the entire universe of amps to just two brands, and also not hear any differences between cables, it kinda limits the strength of your arguments…  Just hoping that you’re finding pleasure with your rig, as that’s what it’s all about. Happy listening. 

@niskymichael

Accuphase and Luxman are two known brands which make FULL FEATURED control amplifiers. If you play vinyl - better get one WITH tone controls and rumble filter. Power amplifiers field is much broader and there you need to choose what is most compatible with your speakers. Cables do change sound, but I would never choose those which do (other than reducing noise level). I use tone controls, if I need to alter the sound.

@ap1 while you might be trying to be helpful, your advice above ($20k entry point, Luxman or Accuphase) is somewhat narrow and wide of the mark. The OP was seeking help understanding what about his setup was holding him back. Its the room combined with a buffet of gear which either does not have synergy with the room or with the other gear or both.

While there are many great speakers for the arbitrary budget you just established and while both Luxman and Accuphase are fine brands with excellent options in their lines, there are many others here who have heard both extensively and chosen other brands…and vice versa. To the OP, stay the course and address your room and acoustics…only then will you alone know appropriate next steps.