What the best 89-90 db speaker I can buy for 3k?

AudioKinesis, most of their speakers are 93db effciency. But only the Rhythm Prism is in your price range. I have no experience with this brand, but the guy that sold me his pr of Thiel CS2.4 a while ago told me that he was upgrading to a pr of AudioKinesis due to their high effciency and the CS2.4s lack the dynamic contrast he was looking for, so it looks like you are looking for the same thing. Worth a look, but don't blame me if they don't sound to you.

I'd suggest looking into a used or yet unsold pair of Gemme Audio Tantos in either V1 or V2. Both should come in at or below your $3k budget.

Sensitivity rating is 91.5dB/W/m, and they are very easy to drive. I think they sound fantastic and should fill your 17 x 13' room with ease.

Here's a review that details their sound with different amp types. http://dagogo.com/gemme-audio-tanto-floorstanding-speaker-review

If you like the B&W house sound, new CM9s or used 805Ds are right at your $3K price point.

I picked up a clean used pair of 805Ds and they work great with classical and jazz. Not the ultimate in bass, but the bass is still surprisingly good.

Thank you one and all, many ideas I never would have thought of.

GoldenEar Triton 2 or 3. Triton 2 is $3K, but for 13x17 room the Triton 3 at $2K/pair should be plenty.

Both have the advantage of a gain-adjustable built-in powered sub in each column, making it much easier to match the speaker to the size of the room.

These are true full-range speakers with lots of dynamics, making them excellent for classical. The tweeter is clear and sweet with no ringing or overshoot, so they're great on strings, triangle, and other percussion with very high overtones. Both speakers reach into the 20's and can play loud, so they're also good choices for large scale 20th century orchestral works such as Holst, Vaughan Williams, Stravinsky, and the other Russians.