Floor Stander with Small Footprint 7K - 15K

revel f208 sounded pretty musical being drivin by a fairly affordable anthem integrated.

Shelby+Kroll Reference

I have the Nano Series and absolutely love what they do with acoustic and voice. They throw an sound stage that is spooky real. They have impeccable tonal balance with clarity in spades. My room is 11' x 15' x 8' and they work very well there. The Reference takes everything I like about the Nano up a few notches. There is a great review of the Reference Stereo Mojo from last Spring.

http://www.shelbykroll.com/

http://www.usaudiomart.com/details/649183528-demo-shelby-kroll-reference-system/

Chapman T-7. The latest version. Extremely musical and balanced. Easy to drive. No affiliation except I have owned an older pair for many years. Stuart is passionate about his craft and is great to deal with. He's been quietly building world-class speakers for about 40 years. Even with the gorgeous wood trim option, price is well within your budget.

There are some excellent reviews online if you care to investigate.

I'm surprised Janszen zA2.1 has not been suggested yet. Clearly they fit the size and price measures. I suspect with an audition they would satisfy the musical requirements as well.

This thread really got me thinking, so I went out and auditioned some of the speakers in this price range and the Vandersteen Quatro's will give you the ability to tune the bass to your room. You mentioned your wife. I have the same situation and she likes the various veneer choices and the different color grills that Vandersteen offers. She also liked the shape as they look even smaller than they really are. Then when I told her that the Quatro's can be set up within inches of the wall (due to their ability to tune the bass) she was on board in a big way. It's always cool when the wife likes the look of your speakers as anything else can be hidden away, lol.

Wondering what you are looking to audition?