Seadweller,
I 2nd Boa2's recommendation of Green Mountain Audio speakers & I do this from my personal experience.
Like Boa2 said - their form takes on the conventional box speaker look BUT they DO NOT sound like box speakers at all.
They have superb all-round qualities: Excellent imaging and soundstaging, wide response, excellent midrange, excellent highs, NO excessive midbass warmth, NO slow presentation that lacks pace and transient attack, NO loose bass, excellent total dynamics and punch.
Given that they are 1st order x-over speakers they do compress earlier than, say, 4th order x-over speakers. However, the SPL level at which they compress is reasonably high. For example, in the 3-way speakers I have the woofer compresses at 105dB SPL. I've never found it to be an issue in the 3+ years I've owned the speaker. I usually listen to music on average at 85dB SPL 10' away.
Several of Green Mountain Audio's models would fit your budget - the stand-mount Callisto, the Pico Medeo & a used C3 (flagship speaker). Also, Roy Johnson, the owner/designer is a fantastic person to deal with.
Disclaimer: I have NO (zero) financial or economic affiliation with Green Mountain Audio. I'm just a satisfied customer.