Best small speakers?

Part of that something I think has to do with what I would call coherence that comes from two drivers rather than 3 or more - few drivers to mesh and make sound like they are cut from the same cloth - also imaging seems to be more precise with two-ways - the advantages are to my liking, which is why I got Merlin VSMs - essentially two-way monitors with "integrated" stands (and electronic equalization to produce almost full-range performance down to 33hz or so. If I had 5k to spend, and was not a matter of size, a used pair of Merlins is what I would get, with considerably better bass performance than is possible with a pure "book-shelf" two-way monitor.

Burmester 022 with stand Burmester 023. Magic.

Alot of great choices, but I have returned to Totem more than any other brand for the way they move me emotionaly. Even my Watt/Puppy 6's, Maggie 3.6s, Dynaudio C4's etc.. were not as expressive and engaging. Totem speakers have a unique way of delivering dynamic shifts, combined with tonal sonority and holographic imaging like no other. It's a total package deal as compared to being the state of the art in any particular category. Most live music is a compramise in and of itself anyway, dependant on venue acoustics, performance and seating assignment. Try a Totem speaker...you may be hooked for life!

I like the Gallo Ref 3.5. I'm driving them with a pair of Odyssey monos and they are fantastic. New they are $6k, used $3-4k is reasonable.

A wild card in the mix may be the Lawrence violin speakers. Stand mounted. I would really like to hear a pair but limited U.S. distribution