Need Small Bookshelf Speakers With a Big Sound


Good morning.  I have been out of any kind of audiophile circles for a long time.  We moved into a house with built-in speakers about 5 years ago, which I really enjoy, but of course it's better for casual listening at a party than for quality listening.  Our family room is in a pretty open space that borders our living room and kitchen, so my wife is very focused on speakers being unobtrusive in appearance.  I was therefor looking for small speakers and got turned onto KEF LS50s, which sounded really nice for the price, and more than good enough for my desires.  And they are small.  But I didn't really focus on their "untraditional" looks.  It turns out that was a deal-breaker when I brought them home to demo.

So, I am back to square one.  What I would really like is a speaker that is about the size of the LS50s, or maybe a little bigger, and has a nice looking, traditional wood finish.  Bright colors and artificial surfaces, no matter how good they sound, need not apply...

I would say my self-imposed budget is around $2,000 at the top.  Unless new speakers leads me down the audiophile slippery slope, the speakers would be powered by my old Adcom 545 II amp and GTP 500 II tuner, with either an Adcom CD changer or Apple TV streaming the music.  Not exactly Audiogon Best In Class, but I think it will bring a smile to my face.  And you never know if this will lead to upgrading the whole shebang.

Any thoughts appreciated.  Not that it matters, but I am in the Chicagoland area.
chiguy
Pair of Dynaudio EX14 came up for sale here on AG today! Contact seller, has only 3 transactions, all positive. 
Find a pair of usher be 718s.  Used in excellent condition should be around $1300.  I've heard many of the suggestions, and these are best.  Incredible bass, very warm, and they look nice.  If you want more traditional aesthetic, perhaps try the totem rainmakers, however you may need to tuck a sub somewhere in the room.  


ATC SCM-11 (newer 2013 redesigned model)
http://www.whathifi.com/atc/scm-11-2013/review

"...,Best standmounter £800-£1200, Awards 2015. ATC has struck gold again. These are the most talented standmounters anywhere near this price Tested at £1,200 ...."

BUT .... With a qualifier as already highlighted above .....

You will do significantly better with an eventual move-up to upgraded quality and performance from current fare electronics .





Goliath killer ..... JMR offrande supreme v2

http://jm-reynaud.com/orfeo-supreme-v2.html?___store=en&___from_store=default

http://www.amherstaudio.com/?page_id=42

French high-end AUDIO Build and performance excellence personified and these are very efficient to boot at 91db......

BUT (again) .....

revealing and engaging speaker excellence capability is a double-edged sword. Shortcomings and compromises upstream (amp and source) will be exposed and magnified in lock-step.