Sorry but you are trying to pick out speakers the worst way possible - by how they look, written reviews and asking for suggestions from strangers on the internet who will tell you what they have or want to have. But how does anyone really know if these are the right speakers for you? Glad to hear you did go out and listen to B&W's though and ruled them out. That's a positive step.
All we really know is that you don’t like black boxes and your taste in music. But we don’t know what kind of amp you have? How do we know if your amp can even drive any of the speakers being recommended?
Let us know what amp you have and then a short list can be suggested for you to go out and hear them for yourself. Good luck!