cpkritzer

@jimjimbo and @Westcoastdrums , I appreciate the semi-related advice! @MetropolisLakeOutfitters reached out to me shortly after you mentioned them in your post!

Thanks for the advice Bubo! I'm feeling a draw toward the Forte iii. There is an "open box" pair available on ebay for 2699 and that includes free shipping! From the reviews I've read and watched, these speakers at that price look to be a steal. Thoughts?

Thanks garyrc! Following your recommendation I did some further investigation on the K-horns... I would eventually love to have a pair of these guys, but given the traffic pattern of my room it's just not feasible. I also really appreciate the advice on the C28 phono channel. It will be refurbished by Audio Classics in Vestal, New York - from what I can tell, these guys know McIntosh like few others, but I'll kindly mention it to them.

The space is flexible. Budget... ideally <3K, but no more than 5K

I'm having a McIntosh MC2505 and C28 refurbished. I'm interested in what speaker pairing people recommend given 50 watts per channel operating simultaneously, into 4 ohm, 8 ohm, or 16 ohm loads. My room is about 15ft x 15ft. I listen to a wide variety of music at a wide variety of dBs. Price is consideration, but I'm mostly curious what folks think will produce the best sound given the classic McIntosh SS amplifier / preamp setup.