16K to Spend. Help me make the end all Upgrade.

If you are getting rid of such highly regarded speakers over "WAF issues," we need to know what the WAF issues are--size? Aesthetics? Wood finish? Too much cloth-coverered-frame hiding odd-shaped components underneath?

Is she OK with large speakers as long as they look nice, such as something from Sonus Faber or Vienna Acoustics?

How about the Sonus Faber Guarneri Memento? $15K w/granite-based columns. Small, stunning to look at, and able to play louder and go lower than its size would suggest.

Could she go with something as large as the Legacy Whisper or Focus?

Or does she want something less obtrusive (and in this case less expensive) like the Totem Hawk or Wind? And I'm sure there are several attractive column speakers with petite footprints in your target price range.

The Sophia should be plenty big to fill an 11x19 listening room, even with some open architecture leading to a dining area. They only look small in a high end audio shop next to the Maxx and Alexandria. On their own, they're pretty big, weigh 160 lbs. each, and provide meaningful bass down to 29 Hz, which IME for 2-channel music is plenty for almost anything you can throw at it.

I also suspect it would be easier to get good sound in your room with the Sophia than with larger speakers which could overload your room.

As for WAF and the attraction to glossy finishes, you really can't beat Wilson Gloss. I think Sophias would stun in any number of gloss colors, such as burgundy, chrome yellow, royal blue, dove grey, etc.

In the right setup, Wilsons can be amazing with their high resolution and the way they hang images in 3D space. Out of all the Wilsons, the Sophias have the advantage of being the smallest and (relatively) easiest to move into optimum position.

BUT!

Wilson speakers came out of Dave Wilson's need for better playback monitors. They are revealing first, musical second. In a professional setting or a no-compromise dedicated listening room, they can be stunning; compromise their placement and room treatment, and you won't be enjoying them so much.

The problem you have here is that you gravitate toward no-holds-barred ruthlessly revealing speakers, while you need to make a concession to placement and decor, the very factors that make ultra high-res speakers unpleasant to listen to.

Placement of any speakers is important, but some more than others, and Wilsons more than most, which is why the purchase of any Wilson speakers includes in-home setup and placement by a factory-trained dealer.

Have you given a listen to any Sonus Faber speakers? They are gorgeous-looking, beautifully made, unfailingly musical, and yet provide a far greater level of detail and resolution than one would expect of "pretty" speakers. The newer "Cremona M" floorstander is relatively modest in size, very full range, and made of hand-placed staves of honey-stained maple, with black accents.

Sonus Fabers are very natural-sounding, but plenty dynamic, and fairly time-coherent. many of their models come with adjustable height feet to adjust the slant of the front panel for best time coherence.

And I guess that's MY long-winded way of saying I also agree with Spencer Bank.