I'm not sure what people saw when reading this question, but I don't see many answers to what you seemed to want!
I recently went through a similar situation, asking nearly the same question. I will relate my conclusions and you may do with them as you please.
I narrowed my list to four speakers:
1) The Sony SS-M9ES. Before you burst out laughing these $16,000 speakers are very good! There is really nothing they do wrong, although they might not be perfect in every area, or system.
2) B&W Signature 30's. Generally I am not a fan of B&W speakers but they did a very good job on this pair. They are not as bass heavy as some of the B&W models.
3) Wilson Watt/Puppies. They have more than thier fair share of detractors but most of those people don't have anything substantive to say. The comment is: "I heard them ______ with _____electronics and they sucked! Thanks for the info!!! I don't think they suck.
4) Kharma Ceramique 1.0. This is a very well made speaker that doesn't look like it has much for whistles and bells, but it sounds very good.
I looked at each of these and spent a lot of time trying to decide what to buy. I ended up with the Kharma's. If I could have found a pair of the Sony's (which I was unable at that time to do) I might have bought them instead, but it would be real close.
I hope that helps a little. Just remember that nothing in your room is as important as the room. A great system will sound lousy in a bad room where an average system can sound very good in a real well laid out and built room.
I recently went through a similar situation, asking nearly the same question. I will relate my conclusions and you may do with them as you please.
I narrowed my list to four speakers:
1) The Sony SS-M9ES. Before you burst out laughing these $16,000 speakers are very good! There is really nothing they do wrong, although they might not be perfect in every area, or system.
2) B&W Signature 30's. Generally I am not a fan of B&W speakers but they did a very good job on this pair. They are not as bass heavy as some of the B&W models.
3) Wilson Watt/Puppies. They have more than thier fair share of detractors but most of those people don't have anything substantive to say. The comment is: "I heard them ______ with _____electronics and they sucked! Thanks for the info!!! I don't think they suck.
4) Kharma Ceramique 1.0. This is a very well made speaker that doesn't look like it has much for whistles and bells, but it sounds very good.
I looked at each of these and spent a lot of time trying to decide what to buy. I ended up with the Kharma's. If I could have found a pair of the Sony's (which I was unable at that time to do) I might have bought them instead, but it would be real close.
I hope that helps a little. Just remember that nothing in your room is as important as the room. A great system will sound lousy in a bad room where an average system can sound very good in a real well laid out and built room.