I have heard Meridian actives and they sound good. If he has around 10k, he could get the Meridian DSP5200.
If he has 3k or under, he could try the Elac Navis (It won the EISA award over speakers that cost magnitudes more, the year it was released).
If his wallet is kinda weaker than expected and he only has 600 dollars, Yamaha HS8.
Hope that helps.