Advice on a speaker purchase

Hi, I would like some suggestions on an upgrade I'd like to make from my current speakers. My budget s $2k, new or used. I presently listen to a six-year old pair of vandersteen 1c's. Up front are a Sim Audio I-5 integrated and a Sim Nova cd player. I do not want to change anything but the speakers. The room size is 27' x 14' x 8' high, but the listening area is 14' x 14.' I generally listen at medium volumes (nothing higher than 85db), and like rock, acoustic rock, ambient, and acid jazz. While most of my listening is rock (alt, indie, classic) and trippy ambient music and acoustic rock, my volumes do not have to shake the room or have thundering bass. I rock out with my headphones.

I like the sound I currently have, but am interested in changing flavors to something a little more perky and upbeat, perhaps something a little less relaxed as the vandy's. However, I am not interested in a horn set-up nor do I require a radical change. I just want to move it over a notch or 2 on the continuum of sonic flavor. I have limited space for a speaker larger than the 1c, and would like to actually get something smaller, but am concerned about my room size (for example, is the room size the correct metric here or is it my listening area?). I have demo'd the Totem hawks and like them mucho, but (again) have room size concerns. Do I need to have these room size concerns? (I cannot demo at home, not in NYC). I have also demo'd the Gallo nucleus reference, but was not impressed with the change in sound when I was not sitting in the sweet spot (and I won't always be glued to that spot when I'm playing music). My research has also led to some other contenders that I have not heard yet, Von Schweikert VR2, Quad 22L, and Audio Physic Yara. I will only be able to have the speakers 18" from the back wall, and a massive entertainment center sits in the middle of my speakers, which are 7 feet apart. The speakers would be a half-foot away from one side of that entertainment center. None of the room constraints can change. The Quad 22L would surely have high WAF; they are gorgeous.

Any suggestions would be appreciated. thanks, walkman