16K to Spend. Help me make the end all Upgrade.

I don't think you can beat Bob Carvers new sub/sat for WAF. It also got a great review.

Ok, my current amp is a Pass X350. Although I'll probably trade that in and get something else. In the meanwhile I'll be running the speakers through and old B&K TX4430. Depending on the WAF I can have the speakers in the living room which is weird in that it start out as a triangle shape where the fireplace starts and leads to the dining area on the right side and a sliding glass door to the backyard on the left. The room would be about 11x19 but 4-5 feet of the 19 feet belong to the dining are which is part of the living room on the right. I (and the wife) prefer a glossy wood veneer or just something glossy if that's not possible. I've been considering the Studio2s because they look good don't take up too much space and when I hear the old Studios they sounded good. Somebody else mentioned the Sonus Faber Cremona M. Maybe a used pair of W/P 8's?

Vienna Acoustics Mahler have my WAF approval. They are beautiful especially rosewood finish and their sound is top notch, and you have money left for music. I suggest you to look also to the Sonus Faber line.

If you are getting rid of such highly regarded speakers over "WAF issues," we need to know what the WAF issues are--size? Aesthetics? Wood finish? Too much cloth-coverered-frame hiding odd-shaped components underneath?

Is she OK with large speakers as long as they look nice, such as something from Sonus Faber or Vienna Acoustics?

How about the Sonus Faber Guarneri Memento? $15K w/granite-based columns. Small, stunning to look at, and able to play louder and go lower than its size would suggest.

Could she go with something as large as the Legacy Whisper or Focus?

Or does she want something less obtrusive (and in this case less expensive) like the Totem Hawk or Wind? And I'm sure there are several attractive column speakers with petite footprints in your target price range.

Boy the Vandersteen 5A with Pass would be great plus you can tune them to your room with the onboard 11 band woofer EQ, while the top sock may be a turnoff the bottoms look stunning in both stock and many premium wood options and the have a reasonable footprint. I and a quite a few other view the 5A as the best speaker out there and a reasonable price that is right in your budget but there are some that take issue with looks....I dont think they draw alot of attention to themselves and maybe that is a bonus for you.