There two separate pairs of Dynaudio Confidence C1s with Dynaudio stands listed in the A-gon classifieds right now. One pair are Signature Mk II in Bordeaux wood finish; the others are Series 1 in piano black. Both are within your budget.
Also, the Joseph Audio Pulsars sure look like another good candidate. The Stereophile measurements of the C1 and Pulsar are very similar in most parameters including very low cabinet resonances, linear and extended frequency response, dispersion pattern, and even step response.
The Pulsars have a true 8-ohm impedance where the C1s are 4 ohm. However, I also read the test of the Sonic Frontier 3 monoblocks and they perform well into 4 ohms as long as the internal connections are set to 4 ohm. The Stereophile review mentions this; it's evidently user-settable.
Also, the Joseph Audio Pulsars sure look like another good candidate. The Stereophile measurements of the C1 and Pulsar are very similar in most parameters including very low cabinet resonances, linear and extended frequency response, dispersion pattern, and even step response.
The Pulsars have a true 8-ohm impedance where the C1s are 4 ohm. However, I also read the test of the Sonic Frontier 3 monoblocks and they perform well into 4 ohms as long as the internal connections are set to 4 ohm. The Stereophile review mentions this; it's evidently user-settable.