"But not the Super 7's. They are just flat out better than other speakers"
Except for maybe my LS-9s, Tyson, especially now that I have my new crossovers (Jensen inductors) sitting on the floor ready to be hooked up. Pictures to follow soon.
I've heard the LS9's in both OB and boxed config, and for me (mostly classical), it's still the Super 7's by a fair bit.
Now, on the other hand, those Mockingbird Audio line arrays Danny did a few years ago pretty much crush the Super 7's, IMO. In every category - hahahaha. But I can barely fit the Super 7's in my space (and could barely afford them). The Mockingbirds were just way too big (and I couldn't afford them anyway).
I've done the cap/coil change to Jupiters and Jantzens (copper foil in wax paper). It's a substantial improvement, especially in tone and overall naturalness. I think it's a combo of better materials (copper is just better than other foils) and vibration control (the paper/wax does a great job keeping everything very still and very damped).
Don't get me wrong, the LS-9s are great speakers, and if I listened to more rock and/or percussive music, they'd pull even with the 7's, and even surpass them in a few ways (micro and macro dynamics and overall scale). I love big speakers, and the LS 9's are not only physically big, but they also sound huge.