Surprised no one mentioned the Advent 300 with the Tom Holman designed preamp section. $279 back in the 70s. Great foot in the door to high end: you could add a power amp (I did with a Marantz8) and used it as a preamp. I kept mine for decades, and used the pre or power sections when my primary gear was out for service, or in between upgrades.
Currently, I am blown away by the magnepan LRS. I have 25k of electronics driving them, but they still amaze me. I feel like I am in no hurry to find my next “forever” speaker, as these make me happy while I look.