@mrskeptic 

It took me about 7 months before I was able to hear a pair of those and the the One R’s. My dealer couldn’t get them and when he got some they were sold and delivered to the buyers.

Depending on your room's cubic footage, either the Ohm Walsh 1000 or 2000.  I have had my 2000s since 2009, and the honeymoon is still going strong.

+1 on Martin Logan Motion towers, Salk Song, and Dali Oberon.

I have the Tekton Double Impact SE and the Vandersteen 2CE Sig II. Both these speakers are recommended here but offer a different presentation. Vandy's are more laid back. The Tektons have more bass and deeper and more upfront sound. They would match very well with your amp. 

I liked the SALK Song3 Encore’s at the RMAF,

Just purchased Martin Logan Motion 60XTi. Very efficient,Sensitivity 94. Plenty of bass,FR. 35-25,000 Hz. and the vocals are really good... We like them.

I agree with the Moab's, however, if size is an issue, then definitely consider the Double Impacts or the Pendragons; right in your price range. Incredible value and incredible products. I own a pair of Moab's with the Be tweeters. Could not be happier, and I've owned some impressive models of other speakers over the years.

+1 I go with Double Impact or Moab.

MA for sure. If you HAVE to have a tower.

A big room?  Efficient needed.

Horn speakers can be high priced based on your budget.  I bought Crites.  They require finishing(possible show stopper for some.  Currently they are $2200 delivered.  The speakers set up properly are very good sounding and 100 dB efficient.

I have seen these veneered and they are beautiful.  Mine are clear coated Baltic Birch.  My last speakers, unless I  move to smaller place.

Is your amp a SLI-100 integrated? How "large" is your room? Avoid "home theater" and "party" designed type of speakers. The best 2 examples could be the Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G or the Sonus Faber Lumina V. Have not heard the 500 7G but was impressed with the Lumina at <$3000. I’m considering a Nova 2 as an upgrade from my Focus Audio FS8. If your music tastes are >33% current pop/metal/hip-hop/techno the Monitor Audio should have the edge. Jazz/classical/well recorded music would favor the Sonus Faber due to class leading tonality/timbre.

You can view buying used as in home addition. I bought a pair of Quads and compared them against my existing Focals before I moved the Quads on down the road.   Didn't have any trouble selling them.  You can try 2 or 3 pair and still save money over new.  But of course its tricky.  lot of factors to consider. 

Salk Sound

My favorite sounding speaker in this price range is the Vandersteen Model 2Ce. I've had others and in fact have something else right now but I wish I had my 2Ce's back. At some point, I will.

Another nod for Ohm. I have the 3000’s in a large room. No issues and outstanding sound. Check them out.

Have you checked out Ohm Walsh Towers? Depending on the size of your room they will be right around your price range. I have a fairly large space and my Ohm Walsh 2000's have no problem filling the room and creating a very large and detailed soundstage. They are also designed to be placed near the front wall so it makes placement in difficult to treat rooms super easy. They are hand made in Brooklyn, Ny and they have a very generous in home trial period. 

Dali Opticon 6 Mk2 has more musicality than Oberon 9. Not a fan of Golden Ear. Totem makes great speakers but new out of your zone. 

The Monitor Audio Silver line are a nice modestly priced speaker, very musical. I love my M.A Platinum PL300II. 

Thanks for all of the feedback.  I am leaning towards buying new so that I can have the benefit of an in home audition.  There is so much individual taste in speakers as this thread already demonstrates that I want to make sure whatever I get is something truly suits me.

Pair of Totem  Acoustic Forest Signature on here for $2.9K.

@curiousjim  That's actually what I have but tried to stay within his budget. I expect these to be my last speakers, barring Powerball as an income source. 😄

Hello! I just purchased some Spendor A4’s which were about $4K and I love them, especially since I had a space issue and needed something very discreet. Depending on the size of your space, you could consider the A2’s which are about $3K and Rob at audio art cable (great dude!) is selling a demo pair for under $2K with warranty etc. which would leave budget for some of his awesome cables or a subwoofer. 

I highly recommend the Spendor. Otherwise I hear the Dali Oberon’s are pretty sweet.

Plus one @mrskeptic,  But if you can stretch your budget a bit, the GoldenEar, Triton Two Plus is amazing for $4500 a pair. 

I have not heard the tekton double impact but I have had my moabs for almost 3 years and they still put a smile on my face.

Something from GoldenEar. The Triton 3+ fit your price point, sound great, and don't need a subwoofer. 

Currently my favorite floor stander in your price range is the Paradigm

Founder series. Used you could get the 100s. 

+2 for the 7Gs

The Carina is a terrific speaker. I use mine in a smaller room. But with the price now below $2000, for a larger room the Carina and a sub or 2 (depending on various factors, 1 or 2),  should sound great.

@danager accept no compromise.😎

@carlsbad   sound wise I agree the MOABs are a slam dunk but it's like having two NBA power forwards standing in your living room.  Pulled out from the wall where they can sound so good they dominate.  At least my corner horns are out of the way occupying "non living space" .  

@danager   I would stretch a bit for the Moabs.   Don't apologize for size.

Save yourself a grand!

https://www.vandersteen.com/products/model-1ci

@coralkong Yes, my listening preferences are eclectic means that I want a versatile speaker that will sound great with a wide variety of music.

"My listening preferences are eclectic."

Not sure what that means, but I'm going to assume you want a "general purpose" loud speaker. 

With a budget of $3K, I'd second the DI from Tekton. 

May also want to look at the used market.....there are some killer deals to be had out there.

If you have the room the Tekton double impacts (with grills) would be hard to beat.  Efficient with a room filling presentation.  They are big but have a following and lots of reviews 

My son has the prior generation of Monitor Audio Silver 500, which he loves, are beautiful, and are an amazing value.  The 7Gs are even more transparent according to Stereophile. I would definitely listen to these! 

JBL HDI 3600 Towers are on sale at Crutchfield (use the 4 ohm output tabs of your amp):