what is the best sounding speakers for under 5000.

I was going through the same thought process as you recently. I just got a set of PSB Synchrony Ones. I still have my Stratus Golds. The Ones are similar but better overall, from bass to treble. They are just more open, smoother in the treble and go lower in the bass with great articulation. I was quite satisfied with the Golds, but the Ones truly are better.
Not a huge difference in overall balance, just cleaner from top to bottom. I listen to mostly classic rock and jazz. If you liked the Golds, you will really like the Ones.

the vanlspeakersworks ambient recovery system looks just like the Carver and Polk SRS systems which feed the opposite channel back into the speaker in opposite phase to cancel crosstalk between the speakers. Makes for a very spacious sound, about 3db louder than without. This system has been used in various configurations over the years. Get a cheap Carver preamp or receiver with the Sonic Holography feature and you can test to see if this is what you want before spending a bunch on a speaker.