Which Hi-end monitor for near field listening

Here is my 2 cents worth of input. You should always audition it first. What we hear might be different from your opinion.
I Best recommendation is ATC SCM10. Aside from being a choice of recording studio's reference speakers, it's hard to find anything else that can beat it in such a small room. Since passive is hard to match, I recommend the active version. I'm very sure it will sound better than most of the speakers you listed above. The SR17 doesn't have the dynamic and the deep explosive bass you're seeking for. The Totem is not as transparent in the lower freq. The Tyler also can't produce good bass in this samll area. The Merlin is abit "Hifi" and good for HT. Not as musical as I would like. The Utopia and Dyna-audio is lack of warm in the mids when compared to ATC, otherwise they're great sounding. If you have deep pocket, my second recommendation is the Sonus Faber Guarneri Homage. For $6000 in used market, it comes with its 200 lb stands. They're really nice sounding. A good amp is a must. They're more of work of art.
Just remember, a good stand is a must. Right listening height is critical.

The Guarneri Homage price has dropped in used market to under $5000. I guess I have not follow up the pricing.

Marco, I've compared them SR17 with many. The spec and actual don't match. The SR17 doesn't go as deep as the ATCs. I have the passive SCM10s driven with 60 Watt/ch tube amp ( the tube amp sound better than 5 high power SS amps I've tried.) and my friend bought the Silverline so we can compared. He dumped the silverline after 2 weeks. It was very disappointing. We had high hope on the SR17 since many folks give such a high mark. From the spec, they should be very easy to drive and match well with most of the amps. They just sound thiner than what we would like. Also, the lower frequency is just not there. Lack of clarity and no punch. You would wonder where is the bass as it claims 38 Hz vs 55 Hz of ATC. Again, these are just our opinions so you can choose whatever you prefer.

Beheme, I think neutrual sounding mid is the best : )
Most of monitors has good sweet spot for mid. Some just sound less weight than the other. As far as tweeter choice goes, I think the crossover design in these speakers is probably more critical than the tweeter themselves. However, if I have to choose, I'll probably go with silk dome type or ribbon type for the small monitor speakers. They're more easy on my ears.

No correlation between sensitivity and tonal balance.
It has to do with crossover design again.
I'm using 94db large coxial speakers on my second system and they sound very full.
My friend using 100+ db JBL and Altec horns and they sound just fine too.
It really depends on room accoustics and size limitations to determine what's the right speakers for you.
If you insist on getting high efficiency speakers ( 92db + ) then you can look into something like Reference 3A MM DeCapo.
Due to the physical space and tonal balance of the speakers, I would generally choose the speakers first and then find the right amp to match. This makes things easier.

The SR17 we tested was used 2nd version. I agree with you Marco that low power tube amp doesn't make the SR17 sing. It will make the SR17 sound sleepy. We've used the good old Mac MC240 (55 Watt/ch) as the based amp for both speakers during the test.
For vocals and strings instrument, the SR17 handles good. When you play R&B with faster rhythm, the SR17 is slightly sluggish compared to SCM10. The bass is not as snappy clean and less seperation between the instruments. SR17 does have sharper highs but not as smooth as I would like.
It is not as "hifi" sound as the Dynaudio's I've heard.
We prefer a little warmer tone of ATC. It sounds more natural to our ears. It does out perform Platnum Solo Reference that another friend used own. That speaker is just so hard to match that we gave up in the end. Compared the SR17 to the vintage rogers 15 Ohm LS3/5A, it has better extension on top and bottom but the mids on Rogers just more seductive to our ears like the SCM10. However, one of the biggest problem with Rogers is lack dynamic handling capability. Most of Rogers owner only listen to easy going music then it is great. Perhaps the SR17 is more suitable for same type of music as Rogers LS3/5A.