the smoothest sounding speaker

Don't forget the Magnepan 1.6's. They certainly present one sonic cloth, and yet can be very resolving. When slightly underpowered (not hard to do with the demanding load of a Maggie) they certainly seem smoother in that they won't have the dynamic punch to be truly fatiguing. In my experience, though the front end has more of an effect than the speakers, but your mileage may vary.

While they may be compromised in other areas, the Quad 'stats might satisfy your criterion.

Thanks fro the suggestions. I forgot about Spendor. Roman Audio looks interesting but their site:

http://www.romanaudio.com/

does not work.

Jean Marie Reynaud speakers - ultra smooth and rich presentation with great detail, just not hyper-etched.

Ariel 20Ts are incredibly smooth, and also detailed and dynamic. Definitely worth a listen at the 20-something pricepoint. I heard them with monster mac amps and they were smooth as butter