Best speakers for max. $3000?

As far as new speakers go, the best I've heard under $3K, that I believe most listeners will enjoy are the Spatial Audio M4 Triode Masters, recently replaced by the M5 Sapphires. They do require a fair bit of distance from the wall behind them but are not finicky otherwise. Spatial's customer support is excellent as well. 

There are other speakers I prefer that can be had for less than $3K or near $3K but I don't consider them as good of all-rounders. 

I've heard most of the speakers mentioned so far, the Spatials outperform most of them, no contest. That even goes for the $2K M4 Turbo S. They make Maggies sound veiled and diffused in comparison. As for Focals, you have to move up to the Kanta range to compete, and even then, the bass definition of the Spatials is superior. I realize I sound like a raving fanboy, but know that I don't own any. I actually returned the M4 Triode Masters due to my preference for Derek Hughe's lossy-cabinet designs and their amazing soundstage abilities when dialed-in, but that's a completely subjective preference. However, when it comes to overall performance/dollar, Spatial just kills it, even with their pro-audio drivers which I wasn't expecting to perform so well to be honest. I think part of their advantage is the tweeter also covers most of the midrange, rather than the woofer covering most of the midrange as with a typical 2-way. 

No one should advise you on speakers. De gustibus...They all vary so much that you should get out there and listen, with your own software.
 

Ultimately, this is the best advice.

If you go with a factory-direct brand, investigate how they've handled past resturns - some of these company's are easy to work with, some can be a nightmare. 

So I had another audition with Magnepans recently, this time the MG.7s (aka .7s). Steve Guttenberg’s comments in his YouTube vid for this particular model, and how he even prefers them to the 3.7s, piqued my interest.

This audition was a in a different room, with different gear from my own, so not apples-to-apples, so take it FWIW. However, the partnering gear was of a similar class to my own. For whatever reason, the .7s sounded far better than what I remember of the 1.7s I owned, maybe with the exception of bass extension. I can only guess this might be due to the .7s being 2-ways while the 1.7s are 3-ways. I often find myself disappointed in the sound of 3-way speakers, and it’s my suspicion that the additional crossover found in these designs is sucking out some low-level information. The proponents of single-driver speakers often claim that’s the design’s ace-card, the omission of a crossover. I’m beginning to think that’s a valid argument.

Anyhow, the following is how I’d rank speakers I’ve either auditioned recently, or own, that can be had for $3K, from best overall performance to least (assuming compatible room and gear). Keep in mind that these models, at a minimum, have slight differences in strengths and weaknesses. The ranking is only for how likely I’d be able to live with them long-term, with "mid-fi" ancillaries. Also, I omitted models that are difficult to find or rarely come up on the used market.

Spatial M4 Triode Masters
Magnepan .7s.
Rega RX-5 (these surprised me)
Spatial M4 Turbo S
New Large Advents *with refreshed parts (no, not kidding, when was the last time you heard a pair with modern gear?)
Tannoy XT6F, or Vandersteen 1Ci
Heresy III or Vandersteen 2CE Signature2


There are many others but I haven’t auditioned or owned them in a long-time.