What is a good all around high quality speaker to purchase?

I suggest that you list your complete system, including the room dimensions, your budget, your musical tastes and your typical/desired SPL's.

DeKay

A very difficult thing to recommend speakers not knowing:
Budget,Room Size,Amplifier & Source,how loud you normally listen,types of music listened to as some styles don't require a lot of power,some do...
That said,it's hard to go wrong with Harbeth,Spendor,Sonus Faber or Dynaudio..

around 20,000, room 15x25, 6 1/2' ceilings, PSaudio BHK preamp, BHK 300 monoblocks, Mark Levinson 5101 SACD player. Not overly loud but like realistic levels

@onehorsepony These if you want floorstanders - Ukkonen AWG Floor Standing Speaker (PAIR) – March Audio

These if you want large standmounts - Mofi Electronics - SourcePoint 10 Master Edition Bookshelf Speakers (Pair) - Music Direct

these stands - MoFi SP10 Stands

and you get this subwoofer for the standmount - S1512M – Power Sound Audio

Here, get these.  They beat the crap out of anything B&W makes and are musical as all get out. 

https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lisbe6ig-joseph-audio-pearl-graphene-beautiful-white-finish-full-range

you would be hard pressed to beat the legacy focus 

one: very deep bass flat to 22 hz.

Two plays at realistic volume levels

Three: is warm and punchy so it is musical and engaging

will fill up a large room 

has good resolution and throws a  huge sound stage

Dave and Troy

Audio intellect  NJ

legacy dealers

I’ve heard great things about the MOFI Sourcepoint 888 and,much more expensive, the KEF blade floorstanders.  
 

I’ve heard the Tannoy Stirling speakers which sound incredible to me.  I believe that the treble is adjustable depending on the room.  They have more expensive models too, that are larger.

Take your favorite one or maybe that one you still have get a crossover speaker improvement kit for that model from GR research in Texas have it done or do it yourself to the speaker and enjoy.

it will be the best it could possibly be

hard to quantify but let’s say you could make it twice as good as it was before that’d be pretty significant wouldn’t it?

Try it if you don’t like it sell it!

So far he has improved several speakers I sent him Yamaha ,Sony and they are so good now, so much improved that I would keep them and I could enjoy them and several of these were not expensive high end  speakers.

So when you start out with something that's pretty good to begin with it's even more impressive when it brings a smile to your face instead of a frown or a headache

Yes it was worth the money imho

… and the Tannoy cabinets are like a work of art.

I would also think about the floor standing PS audio speakers.  It would make sense that they pair well with your equipment.

audiotroy - Legacy Audio speakers were my grail 25 years ago.  I heard the Whisper speakers at a demo in Houston and they were the best sounding speakers I've ever heard.

One overlooked piece of the puzzle is how well the components play with each other.  Brightly voiced speakers (like your B&Ws) driven by transistor preamps and amps can be harsh and glaring.  Smooth-voiced speakers like Sonus match better with transistors.

Alternatively; the McIntosh tube products are voiced much like the Sonus and together sound muted and mushy (sorry, just my opinion).  However I have heard Macs driving Maggies and it was remarkably good- and I'm no fan of Macs. 

So the above wasn't a direct answer to your question. Here's mine: Go to a HiFi shop or a HiFi club nearby, or to a friend's house that has good gear and give your ears the right to vote. Match strength to weakness to balance out your sound. Don't forget your listening room's demands. This will color your sound as well. 

for floor standers the Monitor Audio line is sadly overlooked too frequently despite excellent engineering in drivers and crossover design.

Revel is also an excellent performer with a natural clear sound and wide listening area comparable to Magico's.

Only true high performance faithful reproduction audio speaker is Wavetouch audio Antero speaker. All other speakers in the world behave/sound like the left speaker in below. These un-natural sound speakers sound veiled, bright, and distorted. And one way to enjoy these speakers is immersive sound-stage (a trick by combi of ears, eyes, and brain). But hearing immersive sounds too long isn’t healthy for your body and brain. Only speaker behave like the right speaker (natural sound) in below (closest to the original music) is Wavetouch Anteros. Test your speakers saying "hello" (or anything) while your speaker is playing.  Alex/Wavetouch

https://youtu.be/IHf_FSa8amE?si=dadAt3BbbbrV9jG7

Wavetouch Antero

https://youtu.be/6_Pd65RVCR4?si=fW9s1VuOmNv3fUyE

Listen to Maggies if you get a chance.  With sufficient power they are amazing.  Planars are different from box speakers.  Your ears will tell you if they are for you.  I love Eva Cassidy and they make her sound like ahe is in the room, ainging.

@onehorsepony 

Stretch for Rockport speakers. Check the forums and reviews. Universally praised. End game speakers. Good luck ! 

Fischer & Fischer. The only speaker as good is Rockport. But those are 3x more expensive. 

KLH Model 5's.....Hard to beat.

I went from B&W to Dynaudio and loved the decision. Back in the day (2000) Dynaudio was my Holy Grail. Instantly fixed the fatigue I got from B&W. Nowadays I have found Dynaudio has shifted towards a more forward sound, not bright but more forward than previous lines (this was with the Excite line). I think Evoke has been a step back in the right direction. Have never heard Contour or Confidence. 
 

Revel and Sonus Faber I would also highly recommend. I have been truly awestruck with the Revel Be line…

@onehorsepony I owned the Thiel CS3.7’s and I think you are being a bit hard on them. They are a very good speaker, though I think the drivers on them are surpassed by Beryllium and the even better Zylon (as detailed but not harsh).

This what I think is an all-round star speaker with tech that is hard to match by most builders. I own them and drive them with a CODA #16 amp.

Yamaha NS-5000PNST 3-Way Bookshelf Speakers with Stands | Hi-Fi Heaven

These are huge speakers with a beautiful piano finish. You need some volume in the room to make them work. A Thiel CS3.7 is a good guide to the room needed for the NS5000.

Do you "treat" the 6 1/2' ceiling in any way?

I'm out on speakers in your price range, but  recall dealing unsuccessfully with a low ceiling ages ago (in the early 70's).

DeKay

@onehorsepony 

I cannot make a recommendation in your price range, but I do like you sense of humor. Happy Hunting!

I have multiple pairs of Revel speakers, all floorstanding. I Have some large Ushers that worked great in my 27’x16’x15’ room. Go listen to the ps audio speakers: the fr30’s, and fr20’s. I also use ps audio equipment.

Take a trip to ps audio in Boulder to listen to their speakers. You already have some of their equipment. Ps audio has an in-house trial program but you probably won’t be sending them back. Same goes for the larger Revels or Ushers.

Or Go to some audio shows to hear many different speakers, then work with the dealer for a 30 day in house trial.

For me, both ProAc and Audio Physic speakers are great all-rounder speakers with either tubes or solid state. I have owned various models of both brands and still own the ProAc D15 and the Audio Physic Avantera+. Love both with all kinds of music. I heard MoFi Sourcepoint 8 at a show a couple years ago and were amazed at how great they sounded for the price. They are not as aesthetically pleasing as ProAcs and Audio Physics but they played everything really well. 

@onehorsepony. JBL K2 S9900 review see here. 

Mike

Perlisten and Borresen deserve a listen. 

+1 @soix the Joseph Audio speakers accurate and musical.  
+1 Perlisten 

Agree with @soix recommendation . Joseph Audio Pearl or Perspective graphene. Another brand to consider IMHO is Wilson Audio. Often available in the resale market. I recently opted for a pair of Dynaudio Contour contour legacy limited to 1000 pairs worldwide. Very balanced and natural with fantastic imaging. No regrets.  Good luck !

There are speakers and then there are music system. I dont have an answer for the first, but if you are looking to get a music system, then go for Tocaro!!

+1 on Rockports if you can stretch, then you will never upgrade.

I was listening to Sonus Faber and others and there were a couple of ones of interest - I'd said $18k to $20k - when the sales guy said can you stretch to $25K.  I ordered the Atria IIs after listening for an hour.

Also, I heard Dali speakers recently when I was auditioning the Esoteric K-01XD, rather nice (British for outstanding) detailed but relaxed.  I was very impressed.

I have been a big fan of Audio Physic, I had Virgos for many years in my NYC & VT homes, and their more upscale offerings were out of my $$ range.  My daughter now has one pair of Virgos and I have her Tempos (part of her graduation present in 1998) attached to the TV.  (I don't watch disaster movies!)  The Audio Physic Avantera may be a possibility if you can find a dealer.  

Also +1 on Dynaudio, the only ones I have owned are the Focus 160s in my wife's system, but I plugged them into the big rig and was very impressed.  I have heard their bigger models and was impressed, so, if you can find a dealer.

15’ x 25’ room with 6 1/2’ ceilings? Good luck!

For ME and my system heavy components and speakers have become a no go.

The amps are an easy go lighter in weight modification. 
Speakers forty pounds or less each are now the criteria. 
Going with bookshelf speakers in 220²’ room. 
Will have to forgo awesome bass because I simply do not want subs. 
The ProAc Tablette 10 is the front runner. 

Looking at your components have you considered PS Audio? I haven’t heard them but the entire lineup is getting great reviews.

lwin I recommended the PS Audio floorstanders to him...makes sense as he has PS Audio gear.

lhasaguy I agree about Maggies.   I loved my Mag Minis for years until my 250 WPC amp blew while watching an Aggie tournament basketball game.  I was using it with a Velodyne sub.  Sold the Maggies, but they were so beautiful with acoustic music and vocals such as with Eva Cassidy or several of my Louis Armstrong / Ella Fitzgerald albums, etc.  I don't knowif his amplifier has the current needed but it might.  I miss the Maggies but I actually sold them for more than what I paid for them.   I also had the Magnepan bass panel.

@vinylshadow 

I see the fisher and fisher flagship speaker is 120 k and puts it around the Rockport Orion. Which model were you talking about? I’d love to hear them tho. 

aigie88 & ihasaguy, FWIW, Maggies or other tall electrostatic or planar speakers might just fit the bill to overcome vertical dispersion issues the OP has due to a 6 1/2' ceiling. Problem is to maximize sonic response (3d imaging) these speakers really have to be 5+ ft from the wall behind them otherwise the back wave might just exacerbate the HF issue he has. The OP isn't wild about discussing room placement opportunities beyond his present placement of his B&W's. Yours is a good thought though.  Perhaps he just has esthetic issues with speakers out in the room more, or placement of his listening seat. Who knows.  It's his dime though. :-)

 I thought the 6 1/2 height was a typo for 8 1/2.  Evidently not.  It's nice to know that Gandalf brought the Shire some modern gear ;)

Another vote for Legacy Audio. I have the Signature SE's but, if I had your room size, I would have spent the (very little)  additional  money on the Focus. My Signatures aren't technically full range, but are close enough. And they allow plenty of detail and are not at all harsh (seems you have had issues with that before). 

Enjoy the journey. 

PS--I got the upgraded midbass driver. 

@onehorsepony 

I  currently have the same preamp and amps and went with Sonus Farber speakers. I would stay away from KEF or any other company with metal tweeters. I had KEF Reference 5’s and they hurt my ears even at lower levels. I tried a couple of other speakers with beryllium tweeters and had similar issues.  With the SF use soft dome tweeters and it’s made a world of difference for me. 
 

All the best.

so many speakers so little time https://speakerchoices.com/

@gano, astonishing and useful list... as you say, so little time...

What's your target price?

there are plenty of VG-EXC open baffles around. My choice for decades is Emerald Physics though no longer made. Typically available $1000+++

+1 for Fischer & Fischer 

The best all around speakers is the one that will match your system. There are so many out there, do a. Research and look at the recommendations here too.My recommendations try Borensen speakers, Cube speakers, Fyne speakers…

A perfect candidate would be the PS audio Aspen FR 20 ! If you want more of a traditional woody design there’s an endless list of Sonus Fabre Amati up grades available. Having said that with the FR 20s in place the Sonus would be history. Why ware Tennis shoes with a three piece suit, you’ve the perfect mates set up already IMO. 
 

Cheers 

The contrarian move is Yamaha NS-5000 for $15K. 

It is a synergy of resources from the world's largest producer of musical instruments with a world famous motor sports business.

Add a zero to the price and the single material driver technology will not be matched. Cabinets are sustainable plywood from their wood instrument business  with a gloss finish from their grand piano business. 

Not the most exotic or luxurious. Not huge. They are a global model for living spaces that a woman will buy. My wife bought ours.

@curiousjim 

I must agree. While at first they come off as very detailed, over time one can realize the cost is in hidden harshness. Although, you can probably mitigate the issue with very warm tube equipment... there is always that, "It depends" nearby. 

@ronboco  

That is their flagship model. Depending on your room size, you may not need to go that high. All F&F's down to the 170's kick arse. Each model that goes up, kicks a little more ass and has more bass. The 570's and 670's are the sweet spot for all around kick arse and bass. If you have a bigger room, then the 770's deliver more bass. 

So, it all depends on your room size which speaker would suit you the best. I'd check out the website and contact 11Stereo.com  who is the N.A. distributor for F&F.