Maggies take alot of power. Is a VS 115 enough? My experience with older models from both lines- the ML is a hybrid right? and no doubt sounds like one, no matter how much tweaking you do. There is magic in electrostats though that is pretty impossible to duplicate in the midrange. The maggies will come close, and if you feed them properly, can give you a similar level of openness, they may also sound a little more coherent since they are all of a piece (no dynamic woofer with those, right?) Somehow, and this may be my prejudice, but if I were going to be playing loud alot, I'd probably opt for the maggie, and if I wanted more info at low volume, the electostat. Of course, it also depend on your room, and set up, as well as the amp and the rest of the chain upstream.
Do you have a dealer of both products in your 'hood that would let you do a home trial? Obviously ideal.
And, the easiest way around the budget issue is to buy used, but preferably from an authorized dealer who can stand behind a limited time warranty.
Good luck. When ARC and Magnepan first started, they shared alot of marketing resources, and perhaps more. I remember that dealers of one used to carry both lines and a visit from the Minnesota home office, especially when William Zane Johnson was in his prime, was a thing to be feared!
They are all good products. Used Quad might be worth considering too, with the same caveats.
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