$16K new/used speaker question?

If your preference is new you can't go wrong with the Acoustic Zens. I heard them at RMAF a few years back and for the $ the best I heard there. Good luck in your search!

Try the new Ryan speakers top ,of the line. I heard them One of the best I have heard

After reading the comments from your original post, a brand that has not been mentioned and that I have had complete success with are Usher BE 10's. I have had numerous Wilson products starting with the 3/2 up to the 8's and has out performed them in every way. I have a pair of Carrie 211 FE if I'm not mistaken are close to the wattage output of your gear. They are rated at 91 DB and 8 ohm load with no huge impedance swings. I suggest taking a serious look at them and note their driver selection.
Happy listening,,,!

Hi Tom, you are definitely on the right track to meet your goals. I previously owned the Devore 9 (5 years) and now own the O/96 and they are very responsive to quality tube amplifcation. I got a chance to audition the 0/96 and the Gibbon X side by side, and I actually preferred the 0/96, but I think it would come down to personal tastes. Both are full range (at least enough for me), coherent and have that hard-to-describe sense of "humanity" to their presentation. The Devore 9 is not full range, but the 0/96 and the X both have terrific slam, depth and definition in the bottom octaves. Now, I have not heard Acoustic Zen speakers but I have always wanted to, and I suspect the Crescendo would also be a great choice. I have not heard the Daedalus line either, but they have many fans among tube users. I have owned at least 20 different brands of speakers through the years and until the Devores, my favorites were ProAc and Verity. I am convinced that for a tube lover, speaker choice should be guided as much by the speaker's impedance characteristics as much as anything, and the Devore speakers are ideal in this regard. Best of luck, I don't think you can go wrong with either of your top choices.

Why 8Ohm/90dB+ requirement ?

 VK-150se monos can drive almost any speaker. You are missing out a lot of great speakers.