Re: The top ten
For me it's not a straight first second third. It would be tiered. Different systems have different dispersions, weights, etc. that make them more or less desirable depending on the act and the venue.
First tier:
L'acoustics Kara
D&B V (must admit that I haven't used it but having used Q and J, feel comfortable putting it in the top tier)
Second tier:
Meyer Mica / M'elodie
L'acoustics DV-DOSC
D&B Q1
Third tier:
Nexo Geo S12
JBL Vertec 4888 on V4 or V5
After that are some things I have not had great results with:
Eaw
EV
Martin (I have not used the MLA)
I mixed one show, at Glastonbury, on the Turbosound Flex Array and it was quite good.
I have heard great things about the Outline systems, but have not mixed on one.
One of the best sounding shows I have ever mixed was on a Duran Audio Target system provided by Jacobs Audio in Colorado.
To answer the second part of your question, I think that price, availability, and cross rental options would be as much a part of what dictates system choice as sound quality.
Where you are, there are two sound companies with L'acoustics, and several with Vertec. If you were to have 18 DV-DOSC, and get a gig that required 24, it would be easy to rent more. You may like to rent from your friends, but that may not bring you the best ROI.
Then there is cost of the purchase. L'acoustics has a very high entry price. If you want the K series boxes, they require you (from what I have been told) to purchase a fairly large chunk of their speakers and amplifiers. They will no longer sell you their speakers without their amps. Meyer have a premium price tag, are heavier than other speakers, and you will need a Galileo processor. D&B require you to purchase their amps, but have a low weight so you have more flying options. They have a narrower dispersion than others, so you need out fills more often.
If you were in a rural area that did not have many sound companies, you could get by with any system on the list. Artists would have to be understanding. So if you can get Vertec for 30% less than Meyer, but still get all of the gigs, that may be a better way to go.
Then there is life span. I think that to buy something like Vertec, that has just been replaced by the VTX as the flagship JBL line array might prove foolish, especially in New England, where there are so many sound companies. Of course if you could buy used, that may make more sense.
Tough decision.
