I'll throw in another vote for PL and Rogue. I've owned and auditioned several pieces from both - they both sound great in their own right, IME PL more fleshed out in the midrange, Rogue more dynamic, wider bandwidth, better bass control. Within the Rogue line, the all-tube vs. hybrid are split similarly, with the all-tube designs having a warmer, more complex midrange, while class-D hybrids have iron-fist bass grip and bass control.
That said, an option at the top your budget would be a used pair of Rogue M-180s. I've been running these in a system for a few years and love them for their ability to naturally and effortlessly handle many styles, with relatively inefficient speakers (ProAc 2.5s) They're also fairly tunable via tube rolling, especially via the 12ax7 phase inverter.
That said, an option at the top your budget would be a used pair of Rogue M-180s. I've been running these in a system for a few years and love them for their ability to naturally and effortlessly handle many styles, with relatively inefficient speakers (ProAc 2.5s) They're also fairly tunable via tube rolling, especially via the 12ax7 phase inverter.