Seeking Bookshelf Recommendations

+1 Buchardt S400 Mk II which I believe it has been recommended.

If your amp is tube my choice is Omega Alnico. If your amp is solid state T least 100 w I go with Borensen x1 . Kef meta is a good one.

I like several of these suggestions.- especially the Harbeths and the Magnepan LRS+. I’ve got both and a few more, but these are my choices.

Of these I prefer the LRS+ because with the right electronics there are few competitors <10+ times its cost. The detail resolution, staging and imaging are as good as it gets at any price (provided you’ve got the right electronics).

It’s not a “bookshelf speaker” - but, it’s light and easy to move and nothing really compares. And they’re great in a smaller room, because they’re small.

What you might do… is… get a pair to fill in until you decide what you want… and… then either keep the or sell them when your think you’ve found the answer.

They’re easy to sell, if you decide to do that.

You won’t be disappointed!

If the budget is 3k and you have pre-existing good amplification and subs, the Magnepan LRS+ would be a bit of a nobrainer for a 1000 bucks (as others have suggested). Traits of magnepans are well known.

Hmmm, another good option could be the Emotiva XT3 floorstander for 2000 dollars (Made in Tennessee!!). This seems to be a fairly unique speaker (for this price) with a very high level of resolution, clarity, imaging capabilities and significant bass output/extension that could remind you of some expensive speakers. You may not even need your Rel subs (which are not some infrasonic miracle, to begin with) in a smaller room.

What’s the fascination with a bookshelf anyways? After you put it on some stand, it takes the same footprint as a floorstander and you have to deal with a goofy rickety thing known as the speaker stand! (not to mention that some woofer in these goofy 2-way bookshelfs has to play up into the midrange, drops resolution/clarity, wimpy soundpower, increased distortion, etc). Bookshelf speakers are not the greatest idea unless you spend big bucks on a bookshelf to overcome some inherent disadvantages.

I use stand mounts cause a floor stand speaker would overwhelm my listening space.  My stand mounts can overwhelm it as well at volumes above 80db.  While a stand mount and floor stander might take up the same footprint the stand mount doesn’t take up the same space visually in the room.  Floor standers would feel much larger in my room.  My speaker stands are neither goofy nor rickety either. I’m not fascinated by stand mounts it is just a practical trade off given the constraints of my room.