The very early AR's have to be on this list. The various iterations of the AR-2 and AR-3 were budget speakers based upon price, but have stood the test of time as great sounding boxes. Of the more modern offerings, I agree that Vandersteen makes good speakers in their price range. However, when I compared them to Thiels, I was universally convinced that the Thiels were worth the extra money. Pretty much the entire Thiel line are good bang for the buck speakers. My father-in-law has some CS.5's, which sound ridiculously good for under $1k. I have a pair of CS3.6's, and I think that they hold their own against speakers costing up to twice their MSRP. A little lower on the price scale, I think that PSB and Paradigm offer good value for the money.
Tom.
Tom.