Spendor SP 1/2e, w/ Sound Anchor Stands, should be available in your price range. They do very well w/ tubes. If you get a CD player that's on the dynamic side (e.g., Cal Audio CL-15), even rock will sound terrific.
Newbie needing experts' advice
Hello everyone. I'm slowly fitting my system together-- now I have CJ 11a power and CJ PFR pre. Next step is the speakers, but found out that there's too many to choose from. My budget is around $1500. I'm looking into KEF Reference 3.2. Any other suggestions? I listen to lots of rock, jazz, and classical music. The speakers don't have to be "latest technology" as I have found old models to sound quite good for my taste. Oh, and WAF is pretty important too. Thanks for your help in advance...