$3000 stand mounted speakers?

Tyler Linbrook signature system monitor. $3200 without stands. 
I have a full signature system powered by 40 watt EL34 int amp with no problem. 

Ok I have to step in hear. I had the Dynaudio Special 40 and the Fritz Carrera Be side by side... it’s not even close. The special 40 has one of the worst midranges you will find for a speaker > $2500. It’s almost criminal how bad the crossover design was for the speaker. Everything else is great but what all the reviews referred to as warm is nothing more than a congested mishap in the crossover. I have a pair of $120 diy speakers that have a more expensive, better designed and more coherent crossover then the $3000 special 40. On to the the Fritz... Most musical and detailed speaker I have heard. They have loads of detail like a pair of Merlins but make everything sound great and their is a real sense of weight. I guess the only step up would be a pair of Joseph Pulsars. Honestly the Carrera has one the most magical midranges you will ever hear. The Fritz Carreras can be driven with almost anything.. the Transducer tweeter ads so much tone and texture to the crossover region, and combined with the series crossover it sounds like a single full range driver. One could say the only neg of the Fritz Speaker is they are not the end old for speed and dynamics, but music... yea music

Second the falcon ls3/5a’s.  I have a pair hooked up to a pair of audio note l4 monoblocks which are 40 watt el34 amps and the falcons are really spectacular in my small room.  The Devore o/93’s have not turned from facing the wall since I got the Falcons.  I also have the Stirling’s and they are good also, but the falcons edge them in transparency and details.  The Stirling s are also the excellent at both, just not quite...  but they do playa bit louder without strain.  Ok, get both!
i would not sell either.

@mjcmt  yeah I think Dynaudio tends to work better with high current solid state amps, and i think the Special Forty would benefit from higher damping factor. 
The Silverline I meant was the Minuet Grand. Much more musically accurate than the Dynaudio IMO. Probably on par with Fritz, though I only heard them briefly. I have a full review on my site. 

Depends on your dealer, the website says 20% or more.

Steve. How much are they on sale for. 

I listened to the persona b last weekend and they’re on sale for a couple more weeks so they might be worth checking out.

Mjcmt-  sorry can’t be of any help with the different tablette versions.  Think you might be confusing the anniversary and signature versions, which are different.  I only listened to the tablette anniversary at the time I purchased them. They have since been discontinued.  I did not compare them to other proacs.  The anniversaries I had were rear ported, so a bit sensitive to room placement to get the best bass. I believe the 10 is not, so you can place it nearer to the rear wall if that is an issue. Not sure the sonic difference between the 10 and the 10 signature.   Many years ago, I had Proac response 1, which were better than the original tablettes (just seemed more musical in the mid). So you might consider looking at the current response line as well as the tablette 10.

I went through a similar Journey a year ago. However my room is much smaller  @ 13 x 15 . My list had a number of speakers already listed. Including Dynaudio Special Forty ( loved the Contour 20 much better  Maybe used $3500). ATC SCM 11 or 19 , Proac Response D2 or D20R ( not sure if bookshelf) , Legacy Studio, Fritz Carrera BE. I also included Acoustic Ariel 5T, PMC IB1S Studio Monitors or the Twenty 5, Focal Electra 1008BE , Selah Tempesta. My goal was to replace an older (20 yrs)  Sonus Faber Concertino . I was also looking for a great price on the SF Olympica 1 ( used) . Only heard a few of the speakers live when a used pair of Monitor Audio Platinum 2 became available locally . It has incredible highs and an outstanding firm base response. The base was so good I no longer needs the SUB for the music I play  . I am shocked at how big they  sound and fill the room . They soundstage is very wide. Literally blew the old SF's away - not surprisingly given the age and cost difference . I use a 36 watt Tube amp and maybe max at 11oclock on the pre without them being much too loud yet still sounding very clear .  I thought I would need more power . 
With a large room I think you will need to be much more selective . Even with a SUB it will be hard to fill the room . I know you are looking for a Bookshelf Speaker but there are some lovely and great sounding floor standers with a small footprint . Maybe a used Totem Forest Signature for a room that large.       

1.   http://www.wavetouchaudio.com/antero.html

2.   Proac Response D2

3.   Fritz

4.   Maggies

Wavetouch because of the value and most natural sound, as well as the universal positive reviews.

I can’t get past the look of Tektons. Looks way to busy to me drawing your attention to the speakers. I like a more subdued look. Not only does a $3k speaker have to sound good, it has to appeal to my visual senses too.

Tekton Impact Monitors.  Incredible speaker and value.  $2k delivered.  Check out the review.

https://hometheaterreview.com/tekton-design-impact-monitor-bookshelf-speaker-reviewed/

Thanks Meiaflask. Your story of your journey has good information for me. Looks like my initial choice of the ProAc Model 10 or upgrade to the Model 10 Anniversary is still a solid choice for me. Its 10 ohm rating is easy on tube amps and slightly better bass is a better match than the Harbeth P3 I thought about.

I’ve used my Seas Froy mk3 speaker kit w/ 3 different EL34 amps over many years and it has worked quit well, but it’s time for a change. I like the look of the Tablet 10 very much and would like to ask what you get w/ the Anniversary version.

BTW Meiaflask, My amp is the Mystere IA-11 by PrimaLuna. It’s more dynamic and punchy than a PL w/ the glorious EL34 midrange. So you comparison is important to me.

Thanks Taww. The other speaker I’m most interested in from this long thread is the Dynaudio Special Forty. I’m wondering if it may work w/ tube amps, and it seems like it may be a better speaker for Bryston amps or similar according to your assessment.

I have always had EL34 amps and stand mounted monitors, since 1978 when I had the original Rogers LS3/5a and a Marantz 8. Have been through many combinations through the decades and some years ago settled in on the ProAc Tablette Anniversary driven by a Primaluna HP Amp. 
About three years ago, I entered a similar quest thinking that I could take a step up from the ProAc.  I listened to the Harbeth P3ESR and liked them at the dealer, but side by side at home, I thought the ProAcs were better, primarily in soundstage, imaging and tonal quality of female vocals.
I then decided that I would have to go beyond the $3k price point to get a step up.  I listened to the Joseph Audio Pulsars, and was really impressed, then they came out with the graphene version, which I heard, but not side by side to the original. I knew I could live with the original version, so I went on a quest to find a used pair of pulsars. Joseph audio does not have a big dealer network, but I was impressed enough with them that I was willing to buy without a home demo. Over the period of ~3 months, I found two pairs in the 4K-5k range, but missed out on them to other buyers.

So how does the story end? I listened Maggies and bought them.   But, you know the audiophile story:  talk to me again in 2-3 years and I might be looking for a good stand mounted monitor in the $5k range.  What did Harry Chapin say? “All my life’s a circle....”

Another +1 for Fritz Carrera 7 BE. I think they run around $3.5k now. My favorite so far in my 15.5 x 10.1 ft room. Here's a binaural recording of them which may give you a 10% sense of how they sound in real life.

https://youtu.be/6QkXYPAVUNY?t=125

The Dynaudio Special 40 is a fun speaker at this price point. Not the most neutral and I found the mid bass to be under damped (cello wolf tones were a problem), but dynamic and engaging with a nice full sound. Maybe not the best match for an SET amp though. I’d also check out the Silverline Minuet Supreme ($2k) - not a looker, but remarkably refined and musical, and should be very tube friendly. I have comments for both on my blog (TAWW.co)

Cheers,
TAWW

Harbeth P3ESR (with or without adding a REL sub) will be the only speaker you ever need to buy again

Legacy Studio HD

surprised nobody has mentioned the Audience 1+1 V3, I have the 2+2, 4+4 and 1+1 All v2+, they have a very good WAF factor, i plan upgrading to the new V3, as a single driver with no crossover they have a coherence and tonal detail that belies the price, check out the latest reviews, here is a user review
https://www.audioshark.org/speakers-10/review-audience-clairaudient-1-1-v3-speakers-15287.html
for more bass a rel sub works very well

Check out the Revel 126be....  I owned the 106 and they were great with 40 watts of el34 in my medium room

Compact floorstanders taking up same (or less) amount of real estate are so much more sonically satisfying IMO than stand mount bookshelves (my opinion only, but I demand full, room filling sound (which bookshelves can struggle with) -- personal taste), something like the Spendor A2 at $2.6k, but if you must go stand-mount, lots of great recommendations above ...

Plus I hate wasting money on stands when I could put it into the speakers.

Again, just my opinion. Back to normal programming ...

(that said, I own six pairs of bookshelves across several systems - best of those is Spendor SA1, but you can do better than that with $3k budget I’d imagine)

You might look at Salk. 

Running on 15wpc SET. 

I have Watkins Gen 4.  They allow returns.  I bought planning to return them.  Oops.

Keep the magic of the Tablettes and add a good quality sub. 

The persona b, r300, ls 50 wireless. 

Falcon LS3/5A

I just went though what you're going through and I ended up with B&W 705 S2. $2995 and I could at least listen to them at Best Buy.  They're very well known and I expect I will be able to sell them easily if I tire of them. 

I have two sets of similar speakers and I expect that 40 watts might borderline unless you keep the volume to a very reasonable level.

I read many reviews and recommendations.  They all provide some help but the final decision is still a gamble.....even with the 30 day guarantee.  I just didn't want to fool with it.

“Gsm, AudioNote looks good but over my budget unless preowned.” If you check HiFiShark, previously sold preowned AudioNote ANJ and ANK would have been in your price range. 

Buchardt’s look quite nice. I was ready to add to my list until I watched Zero Fidelity’s review. His description has my puzzled about it's slightly forward sound, use w/ my tube amp, and for off axis listening too.

Interesting you mention the JA’s Pulsars. My current speakers use the Seas Excel magnesium drivers, but in a DiApollito configuration so I know the sound in part.

My recommendation is the Buchardt Audio S400 SE speakers.  They are  remarkably full-ranged speakers that contend with Dynaudio C-1 Contours or Joseph Audio Pulsars. They cost $2700 with a free audition period.  I am blown away with them in my system and I have had at least a dozen monitor over the years. 

Silverline Minuet Grands are $2k/pr. new, are attractive, easy to drive, and have considerable output capabilities for their size.  If you can stretch a bit (or find them used), Joseph Audio Prisms at $3700/pr. new offer a lot of the much-loved original Pulsars at less than half the price.  Best of luck in your search. 

That's a big room for 40 wpc and stand mounts in that price range. I have 2 KEF R3s with a sub, right in your price range, in a smaller room and twice that power and sometimes I think I'm pushing it. 

I understand, how are the speakers to be placed in the room?

Mesch, I'm using narrow floor speakers and my wife's not happy with them being so prominent.
Gsm, AudioNote looks good but over my budget unless preowned.

I'm concerned about resale and Watkins speakers may be difficult for me if they don't work so well.

If placing stand mount speakers on stands I am not sure I understand the 'rub' against small floor standing speakers. There are many that are quite attractive. This coming from a stand mount speaker enthusiast.

Small speaker, 18x 22' room, 40wpc quite an exercise, though doable. Look forward to what you decide. Good luck in your quest.

Pretty big room for a "a small monitor speaker." My only suggestion is to look for something very efficient; it might help to fill the room. If you want specific recommendations, consider the AudioNote AN-K. 

Another recommendation for the Watkins Gen 4’s. Check the reviews-$2495!

The Harbeth P3 ESR will sound great with your EL34 tube amp. I have owned both the standard model and the anniversary edition. A perfect fit for that size room!!
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=harbeth+p3esr+review&view=detail&mid=5D7EB69CCEBBAAE793...

If you'd be open to purchasing a pre-owned speaker, I'd recommend you look at the Totem Fire monitors.

Lots of options recommended here for monitor speakers.
Of the suggestion here for $3k, these are the ones that initially intrigue me as a step up from the ProAc Table 10 I've been considering at $2k.
They would look nice in our place too, w/o taking over (WAF).

Omega Super Alnico Monitor
Dynaudio Special 40
Totem Signature One
Reference 3A de Capos (wood veneer version)

As a purchase w/o hearing, I think I'd have an easier time reselling if it doesn't meet my expectations too.

+1 for Watkins Gen 4. 
https://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/watkins-stereo-generation-four-loudspeaker/

generally, ANY stand mounted speaker will have less bass than ones with large cone drivers which is fine unless they try to do too much, ports, passive radiators, ...

My advice is to avoid rear or side ports, if ports, front only, to avoid rear/side reflections that diffuse directionality.

Consider where a STEREO PAIR of self-powered subs would go now or in the future. IF/when you add those subs, hook them up in a way that the tube amp no longer needs to amplify the frequencies the sub will handle. both your amp and mains will be happier, thus you will be happier.

Fritz. Heard them just the other day. Highly recommended.

Watkins Stereo Generations 4, the best bang for the buck!!

I have a pair of Sonus Faber Sonetto 2 for sale. $1700 7 months old.

Jbl L100 classics 

Sonus Faber, the already mention Dynaudio or Vandersteen VLR signature with the famous pistonic carbon tweeter derived from flagship model 7. Available in a variety of stock veneers up to wild custom woods.. fun, add a Vandersteen sub later with 11 bands of analog EQ to fix room issues. The VLR plays surprisingly low

have fun ! Enjoy the music

More than $3k new, but I got a demo pair for $2800 and I love them:  Wavetouch Antera.  Next would be Ascend Sierra 2 - the newer version if I were buying now.

Tekton Double impact monitors will rock your world for $2000. Detailed but powerful, great specs, sensitive as a 17yr old prom queen
https://www.stereophile.com/content/tekton-design-impact-monitor-loudspeaker