What is your vote for best bookshelf speaker ?

Sonus Faber Extrema's, modified to bypass the internal crossover, using external crossover, driving it "active" bi-amp with world class amplification!!!....WOW!!!..WOW!!!
For most all practical purposes, I garantee you worlds, no light years better performance all around than anything you just named!! Not only are we talking world class resolution and tranparancy, but dynamics and realism (from rock to instrumentals) so hard hitting and powerful, you'll swear it's live, live, live!
Simple passive speakers are really no match in dynamics and that "you are there" beleivability, presence and DYNAMICS!...ALMOST HURTS with the right music!..I swear!
That Esotat tweeter and Dynaudio Woofer can take more power than you can immagine!..just gotta go active bi-amp to find out! the drivers are a simple blend, and no trick crossovers are needed. SOUNDS AMAZING! Detail is as good as it get's, and the bass is simply world class (competes like this with full range, no problem.)
Immagine everything you've come to read about the Extrema's (class A out of the box, etc. ), X5!!!!..it's mind blowing really. I will NEVER need anything else EVER FOR MUSIC!!!..ever!
now home theater in certain instances, that's a different story in some applications. Just depends on you're room, and set-up. speakers like the Wilson Cub's (though not as listenable for all typs of music over periods of extended listening, as is, in my view, are superb HT speakers! Drive em actively, and you're talking world class Home theater performance that is incomparable.
GO MODIFIED BABY!....IT'S THE ONLY WAY TO FLY!

what about the Audio Physic Step SLE?

>i did have a listend to the $4000.00 totem bookshelf speaker driven by an pair of 60 watts HK tube power amp and preamp for a liitle wgile wiht both entry level phono and digital at a customer apartment.
>came home and wandering that all the year that i thought i know what hi-fi was all about.
>boy I was so wrong.
>high frequency energy is so much more ... came from those samll bookshelf.bass is tunefull with impact.
> I stop worry that i don't have to spend more drivers and bigger cabinet to have vgood sound.

Lordgorian...Congrats on the Talon's. You made the right choice IMHO.

I owned (or have owned) 3 of the speakers above and heard most of them as well. I have to say they all have their strength and weakness (surprise?). I like the Extrema's dynamic and transparency, I also like the Confidence 3's openness and dynamic, and surprisingly AE1 Signature has even better midrange than both. But award goes to Guarneri Homage for overall coherence and design aesthetic. How many manufacture can produce the same model speakers for 10 years without major modification? None. That is because it blends art and science in such a small package that will not offend anyone. There might be better speakers out there, but define better? If you want truth, Confidece 3 will probably give you the most truth among the group. But if you want art, Guarneri Homage really has no equal.