Searching for the most "accurate" speaker (below 15K)

The Vandersteen Quatro Wood CT is right at your price point. A very, very good sounding speaker. Has active
drivers. That would be my choice...

One side note, since Vandersteen was mentioned. The 2 model has been one of the best selling speakers for over three decades. Not many speaker brands can boast about that. When listening to speakers, often it is the design/engineer who is responsible for a great sounding speaker. Richard Vandersteen, Kevin Voecks, Jim Salk, Andrew Jones etc....

As noted here, one has to "go out" and listen to as many speakers as possible. All speakers introduce coloration to the sound, so it is vital to listen and find out what YOU like in terms of sound and which brand YOU favor. Hype about a speaker or any electronics is flat out dangerous if you don’t have money to waste or blow through. Many audiophiles here have listened to dealer hype or went on the advice of a brand "fanboy" only to have bought something that does not sound good to THEM. Dealers have an agenda, sell their products. Owners of products they like, will get over-enthusiastic about the great stereo they have. The smart prospective audio buyer will listen to as many components as they can, and find (in your case) speakers that truly fit what YOU like.

If I were looking at speakers at the $15k price point, I could make calls to dealers to make appts and listen within a reasonable driving distance. Also Audio shows can be fun, and one can listen to many (not all?) speaker brands. That bit of research could prove to very constructive, working toward a smart purchase.

Glad to hear you found speakers you like.

Most often, whichever speaker one selects to be his/her favorite has much to do with the sound coloration they prefer. Some like bass heavy speakers, some like neutral speakers, some like lively, some like musical speakers, etc, etc...The real key is to understand which coloration is the one you prefer.