Best bookshelf loudspeakers under 10,000 for the pair

Klipsch Heresy IV?

Beat the pulsars ?? Well...lsa statement aere deaihned to mirror them and in fact the deaigner had pulsars to listen to and compare ..and the price is one third of the josephs. 

I would think you could get something very nice for three grand or less, and I would look demos or a solid pair of used speakers. 

If you’re not afraid of the future, try a Genelec 8351 GLM system (+ sub if you like to play loud bass) or the fabulous Dutch&Dutch 8c. Amps and digital room compensation included.

Some ideas that I don’t think that have come up are DeVore, Fleetwood Sound by OMA, Graham Vandersteen VLR, Audio Note We could do this forever 

Some ideas that I don’t think that have come up are DeVore, Fleetwood Sound by OMA, Graham 
not to mention Treo CT s 

The New ProAc K1 with their dedicated stands 

I was in the market in this segment for a while and have heard a few of the things mentioned in this thread, so will share my $.02. As always, no offense intended to those who disagree. :) 

Paradigm Persona: I have heard the B's and 3F's and just couldn't warm up to them. They sounded rather brittle and not organic at all, klling tonal and dynamic nuances. The combination of beryllium drivers and 3rd order x-over just does not work for my ears.

Focal Sopra: I think I heard the bigger ones, not the No. 1's - Jerry Siegel @ 10audio likes the No. 1 and I have liked a number of components that he does. That said, the bigger Sopras do some things well but I just can't get over the Focal voicing which is slightly forward and nasal and a bit fatiguing and unnatural to my ears.

TAD: Yet another hard-sounding speaker to my ears. Perhaps I just didn't hear them set up properly (it was with an Ayre EX8 which didn't sound like a good match at all) but the midrange was thin, upper midrange coarse and treble peaky. I have yet to hear a beryllium driver my ears can tolerate.

Dynaudio Special 40: a very fun speaker, big tone and dynamics but the bass response is not very even, sounds underdamped and resonated badly on certain cello notes. 

Dynaudio Contour 20: a more detailed and neutral speaker than the Special 40, but a little dry and uninspiring. I found the Special 40 more enjoyable. 

Boenicke: I heard the W7, but I imagine the W5 has a similar character. A very interesting speaker, cool looking and full of character which can be a pro or a con depending on your ears. The cabinet is designed to have some sympathetic resonance which can sound magical but colored. Same for imaging, it initially sounds holographic and spacious but after a while it feels a little gimmicky. If you like euphonic effects it could be great, but it's not what I would call accurate. 

Audiovector SR 1 Arreté: This, along with the Silverline SR17 Supreme, was my reference monitor for a couple years, until I upgraded to the SR 6. It lacks some body, is finicky to match and sounds a little flat at lower volumes, but dialed in just right it's remarkably transparent and insightful, and for such a small speaker it is amazingly clean playing crazy loud. I find it preferable to all of the above, and the new R1 model should be better (less dry).

Silverline SR17 Supreme: For situations where the Audiovector was a bit too lean and analytical, I turned to the Silverline. Some of the best drivers Dynaudio has every produced, perfectly meshed with a minimal crossover that results in a more seamless, organic sound than anything I've heard from Dynaudio themselves. Only major knock is the cabinet has some lower midrange resonance which results in some congestion at high volumes, rather euphonic with acoustic music but the Audiovector is cleaner for rock/electronic. A music lover's speaker that doesn't sacrifice resolution or transparency.

Wilson TuneTot: the pair I heard wasn't fully broken in, but regardless it was wholly unremarkable.

I haven't heard the Fritz speakers - was in touch with them but didn't get around to an audition - but have very good things about them. 

I know the OP was looking for a bookshelf, and I am a mini monitor fanatic myself, but for $10k I would try to check out the Audiovector R 3 Arreté. It has pretty much all the virtues of a bookshelf, with dynamics and bottom end few can match, and the footprint is tiny. TAS just published a review.

I personally owned the Wilson Audio Duette 2's with a Raven Reflection MK2 integrated tube amp. Simply put outstanding sound.  You can get the Duette 2's used for 10k.  Sunny's audio in California has a demo pair available.

I second the recommendation on the Focals. A lot I like about them. 
I have owned a pair of Totem Signature Ones for a couple of years that I very much enjoy.

 If I had your budget, I would probably grab a pair of Totem Element Fires version 2. I listened to them for a couple of hours at a local dealer. Beautiful noise! Blistering speed on attacks and transients, presence,  palpable holographic sound stage, highly musical, and at 7k, you will have some money left for other toys. Drops down to 30 highly accurate  cycles, so you will get most of the frequency range and almost all if any instrument barring the lowest registers of a pipe organ. But having listened to pipe Organs on them (and lots of other tunes) you’d have to really know your stuff to notice what’s missing. 

Please go listen to Paradigm Persona “B’s”. $7k msrp but used much less. Great clean detailed sound.

Check out the Trenner and Friedl "Sun" speakers; under $4000.  Ken Micallef of Stereophile said ". . .the best small speaker experience I've ever had." See "stereophile.com/content/trenner-friedl-sun-loudspeaker." I bought the SEAS tiny co-ax drivers (RE12-XFC from Madisound, built the recommended cabinets, bought the fancy crossovers, and they sound great. DIY for under $600 including cabinet. Add a subwoofer and they're hard to beat. 

One more vote for the Joseph Audio Pulsars.  I have very similar electronics, at least on the digital side.  Direct Stream DAC into PrimaLuna DiaLogue Premium pre and then Dialogue Premium HP amp.  Great combination.

Second the Boenicke suggestion. I have heard the TADs sound superb and then really poor. 

Problem with the Intuitive Design is that Dale modified the drivers and I am not certain that you could get new drivers with the proper voodoo. Also you need some good hefty power for these speakers.

My pair of Intuitive Design Gammas retailed for $12k when new.  They are about 10 years old and I doubt in that price range there's a better monitor.  

Latest Joseph Audio Pulsars @ $7500/pr.
Haven't heard any compact speakers beat the Pulsars.
Best,
Jim Smith

1:21amIn my humble opinion, a little old speaker manufacturer in my hometown of Kingsport, Tennessee, has a very nice speaker out now. The Watkins Stereo Generation 4 is quite amazing. William "Bill" Watkins, Sr., and Bill, Jr. have built a solid reputation over the last 46 years. Bill, Sr. developed and patented a Dual Voice Coil Woofer that was used by Infinity. Below is a description I found from a review:

I also bought the Generation Fours.  My friends turned me on to Watkins speakers back when I was in college...it was our goal from high school until we worked and saved enough money to purchase our first pair of Watkins speakers.  Bill Watkins designed and built not only his own popular line but he also designed for Infinity Speakers.  I still have that first pair of WSCs --and did I ever play them a lot for over 40 years!  They were also transported to many a party but that is another story!  A couple of years ago, I was able to ship them to Watkins, who serviced and returned them to me. They play as good as new!  Last year for Christmas I treated myself to the Watkins Generation Four.  I displayed them in my den where I am working now and pretty much listen to them all day long.  It is as if I am there in person listening to a live performance. They received some really good reviews which you can link to here https://www.watkinsstereo.com/in-the-news  Watkins speakers are known for their quality and durability plus the business has an outstanding reputation standing behind their products.  I have two friends who own the Generation Fours and they are happy as well.  Great sound that I will be enjoying for a long time at a great value in my opinion.  

Spoke to designer of lsa statements..they mirror the joseph audio for way less. 

The best speaker on the planet as stated by this article:

TAD ME-1
https://www.cnet.com/news/the-tad-me-1-ups-the-ante-for-small-high-end-audio-speakers/

https://www.soundstageultra.com/index.php/equipment-menu/770-tad-micro-evolution-one-loudspeakers

SoundStageUltra conclusion:

The TAD ME-1 is one of the finest loudspeakers I’ve had in my room. From 40Hz up, it rivals anything else at any price. This jewel of a speaker -- the build quality is of the highest order -- will give you expertly voiced sound that belies the size of its cabinet, and will play at output levels that will do justice to your most raucous musical selections. The pair of them imaged like lasers, and could cast a soundstage as wide and as deep as my room allowed. Nor is this merely a great small-room speaker -- that description would be a huge disservice. It filled my Music Vault with full, rich, detailed sound that never fatigued me and never bored me.

As most of you know, I’m on the hunt for a new pair of speakers. I’ve got some other models lined up to listen to, but I can tell you that the only hesitation I have in buying the ME-1s right now is knowing that TAD’s CE-1 -- the next model up from the ME-1 -- might be a touch better still. Regardless, the bar has been set high. These speakers just blew me away.

....ATC SCM19 and a nice set of stands will come in at half your budget and therefore make you very happy in more ways than one.

....or you could get the actives and still be under budget and sell your amp.....and not need stands. 

FWIW having haunted many an audio show and dealer looking for the best sounding best value products that suit me over the years, there may be better in some ways, but Fritz Carrera is all I would ever need in a “bookshelf” speaker. I would put them on very good stands.
I heard the Gershmanns mentioned above as well once and was similarly smitten.

Then again I always say it’s hard to go wrong with Dynaudio or Totem and KEF is up there on my list these days as well. 
Fritz are clearly more versatile than most of those though in terms of providing an easy load that most any amp can drive. That’s the most unique thing about them aside from the overall musical performance. 

Kenjit is just doing his usual trolling. He is apparently too dumb to know how any speakers differ from others and thinks others should be more
like him. 

No $10k speakers should go on a bookshelf and price needs to include suitable stands.  

@kenjit what makes the elac debut so special?  They look like every other speaker and I bet they are made out of mdf.

10000 for a bookshelve that cannot cost more then 1k to build= rich being ripped off.

Do not know if you will appreciate the tone of one over the other but the KEF Ref 1 has a big advantage of the being a three-way over the 805s. My opinion is Ref 1s actually do a good job of handling the bass while adding to the clarity of the midrange in contrast to the LS50. Plus they include an adjustable port length. There are prettier sounding small speakers as well as ones with higher resolution, imo, but they are a good jack of all trades.  I can't help but mention a used YG Carmel. As a small footprint floor stander, to my ears they walk the line of resolution and beauty almost uniquely well. Good luck!

canton vento reference 9.2 dc on sale now $1299 gloss black/white and $200 more for gloss cherry with free shipping. retail $4000

https://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/cantventoref92dcblka/canton-vento-reference-9.2-d...

http://www.hifi-review.com/152696-canton-reference-9-2-dc.html

Paradigm Persona B for sure.  Try to find a dealer that will let you borrow them and you'll fall in love.

@jcwaudio,
Coming from MLs and Quads (OB speakers) you might be interested in:

https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lisa0fgd-arion-audio-iris-active-monitors-monitors

Possibly the smallest OB speakers available. Included with the speakers is a power amp for the woofers and the Trinnov processor, all under your budget. In-home trials will be available soon.

For something more conventional check out the monitors by Sound-Smith. I realize they are best known for cartridges but Peter has much history in speaker design. 

Consider also the Revel 126Be

Gershman Studio II

Best monitor I have heard is the Dynaudio C1. I would buy one used. Should be about $4-5k with stand. Then everyone seems to love the Harbeth 30 (.2?). The right amp is super important. The two hands clapping so to say. I am a tube guy. But the Pass Labs Class A Amps are one of the most tube like.

if you have 10K for bookshelf speakers you got more money than brains,even 5K.

I would recommend you take a look at the Corvus Reference Monitors at Raven Audio - https://www.ravenaudio.com/product/corvus-reference-monitor-speakers/
Maybe a little over your budget, but definitely worth checking out.  I've heard the proto-types of these speakers and they are spectacular

You should take a look at the Wilson Benesch line. Below is a link to a used pair of Discovery speakers. New they would be out of your stated price range. A great speaker.

https://www.canuckaudiomart.com/details/649612675-wilson-benesch-discovery-1/

My suggestion is the Buchardt 400s bookshelf. I demoed at a friend's home and I was impressed.
Save  8k or buy  5 pairs with enough left over or cables.. good luck on your quest
Stay Healthy!

https://hifitrends.com/2019/10/03/buchardt-audio-s400-bookshelf-speaker-review%E2%80%8C-%E2%80%8Cmy-...

I heard the $7K Paradigm Persona(I think) on stands sounded really smooth, detailed, neutral and had good bass for their size. Actually they stopped me in my tracks.

the new yamaha ns5000 is $15k, but I think comes with stands and is probably a world beater.

Consider

Boenicke w5 se

10k for bookshelf speakers?.... Get the f*@k outta here

+1 @jilu 

Skip the subs. 

In my humble opinion, a little old speaker manufacturer in my hometown of Kingsport, Tennessee, has a very nice speaker out now.  The Watkins Stereo Generation 4 is quite amazing.  William "Bill" Watkins, Sr., and Bill, Jr. have built a solid reputation over the last 46 years.  Bill, Sr. developed and patented a Dual Voice Coil Woofer that was used by Infinity.  Below is a description I found from a review:

"The 8 ohm coil is the primary VC, but at resonance (woofer+cabinet) the very complex crossover shifts the signal to the second voice coil. In effect the 2nd coil operates in a narrow band The effect is to level the speaker impedance (at resonance, impedance and efficiency are at max, and cancel out) but more significantly, the phase of voltage and current remain stable (at resonance they are at 90 degrees, a tough amp load). Watkins woofers also maintain a deeper bass, because the second VC band pass was at the low end of the speaker's response. A typical 12" in a big box might resonate at 42Hz.  A Watkins could move this down to 28Hz."   

Last I saw, the price was $2,500 a pair straight from Watkins Stereo shop which has been at the same location on Center Street in Kingsport since opening 46 years ago.  I used to stop in there all the time as a teenager in the mid and late '70's.  They currently sell their speakers, VPI and Oracle Turntables, Ortofon 2M and Cadenza cartridges, and Yamaha Amps.  I hope this helps, and the specs are on the web page.

https://www.watkinsstereo.com/

Holy $h!t Kenjit. Look at you being helpful.

elac debut 2. Not too expensive and award winning. 

If you can stretch your budget a bit the Dynaudio Confidence 20 is $12,999. I'm not keen on its sci-fi aesthetics and the stand doesn't look proportionate to the speaker but if I were to ever win the lottery those would be my pick for sure.

Focal Sopra No.1.  Run, don’t walk to hear a pair when you can. Not everything esoteric is better than the well engineered stuff.  

Acoustic Zen, Adagio Junior  Loudspeakers

Have you given any consideration on what stands to mount your >= $10K loudspeakers on? Are you considering seismic isolation for them?
Is your room size commensurate for bookshelf speakers?

By the way, I believe you have invested in some well regarded electronics representing good (pardon the pun) bang for buck.

Discerning what to buy out of the myriad of offers flowing in off this forum is an interesting proposition, even if it's to inform you of what to select to go and audition.

I have stand mount loudspeakers, retailing close to your budget, at about 93lbs each they're hardly bookshelf speakers. I love my stand mounts, I sure hope you love yours too, whatever you choose.
I am interested in what you do go with, please inform us when you take delivery :-) ?

Pulsars