Speaker recommendations / live concert recordings

oh yeah, i know you :)
How's it going?

I listened to some paradigm studio 40s today, wich i had been meaning to do. As you advised, I also decided to check out some Martin Logans. I listened to the Mosaics. They did sound great, but are unfortunately out of my price range right now. They did do a better job of reproducing the "live" sound of the various audience recordings I brought with me than the Paradigms. I'll have to locate a Magnepan dealer around here and have a listen, but before I do, do you have any experience on how the Martin Logans compare to the lower priced Maggies, such as the MG12s? I see alot of older Maggies on ebay and audiogon which are substantially cheaper than the Martin Logans I heard today. Any idea how they would compare? I know this is a general question, but that's all I have for now :)

Older Maggies can be a good thing, especially if you can mate them with a good subwoofer. I prefer the sound of Martin Logans, but I also find the Maggies to be quite pleasing. I would also look into used Thiels. You should definitely be able to pick up a pair of CS3.5's, or maybe CS2.3's in your price range. The Thiels would have better accuracy and midrange detail than the Paradigms (which while I agree are a great speaker at their price point, I don't really think of as being exceptionally accurate).

Tom.

The Klipsch Heritage series reproduces a live event very well. If you have the space, the LaScalla can be found used in your price range. Two very simple tweaks will bring this speaker to a higher level. 1 - Dynamat on the horn. 2 - Liquid nails on all the seams inside the cabinet. This really tightens up the bass and surprisingly broadens the soundstage. If you want to go with tubed amplification, the Klipsch is a great match. The Lascalla is very sensitive at 104db/watt so any weakness in the system will be easily noticed.

thanks for all the responses, guys.
i was about to start a new thread about what speakers are "true" to the source... or don't color the music... but i think thats what this might turn into if i'm lucky.
I quickly read a bit about the thiels that Tombowlus recommended and they seem to do that pretty good (here)

http://www.stereophile.com/loudspeakerreviews/225/index3.html

what other speakers are out there that are uncolored that i should look into? Buying used is fine, but if I do buy used I'de like to keep the cost below $900-1000 if possible. I'm starting to realize that I'm probably going to have to buy my whole system at once (less cd player) which is going to hurt :)

Maggies...DEFINATELY.

I own MLs, but I still consider myself a maggie guy. they are a little smoother sounding, IMO.
the MG12 is a fantastic speaker, and still in production. Mate that with a small sub, like an 8" model (dual drivers would be nice) and you'll be back in MSG in no time! Even the MMG will blow your mind (and is easily had for $400).
two subs is the way to go. You could get the MMGs and a pair of 8" subs and probalby stay in your price range. You needn't spend a fortune on the subs, just stick w/the smaller models as they are quicker than large ones, and this is important w/pannels (quick sub).

as far as clarity and transparency, the Maggies do this particularly well. the MLs are the king though. this can work both for and against you as it will bring out the best/worst of your componants and sources.
its a funny thing, you'll find a lot of your favorite AUD recording actualy suck, and many of the ones you thought were "eh" are actualy masterpieces.

One thing with panels, you need to have some breathing room. If you can't pull them out into the room at least 30" and several feet from the sides...then you might want to reconsider that direction.
Another downfall is that they only produce a sweet spot suitable for one person. so there is only one good seat in the house where the music comes into real focus. This spot though...you'd have to spend way more money to get that sort of quality from a box speaker w/a broad sweetspot.

you say you may be buying your whole system....sans CD player. the CD player is very important here...crap in, crap out. what is your deck? does it have a digital output?

Those mosiacs you listened to....
go back and listen to a pannel (as the mosiac isnt'). for shits and giggles...listen to the Ascent. I'm sure they'll have one. I assume you went to a tweeter?
Then you'll know what your after.