best bookshelf speakers for < $2000?


I have Studio-20 V5s on stands right now for my living room 2.0 music system and, while I like the sound, I need more bass extension.
I don't want to add a sub due to room clutter concerns.   So, I am looking fro an upgrade from my Studio20s.
I have been looking into towers but now am thinking, why not stay with sand-mounted speaker since I have the stands already.   This is for 2ch music only.  My amp is Emotiva UPA-2 SS amp.

Would I do better to go towers or go higher-end bookshelf speakers?


The towers I've been looking at have been 
Salk SongBirds/Towers
Ascend Sierra Tower
Silverline Prelude Plus

Thx.
albireo13
I've decided to focus on upgrading my amp for now.  
We plan to sell the house and move this year so the living room size/situation will change quite a bit. I'll wait for that to settle out before upgrading my speakers.

a better amp can definitely help the bass.  don't let the fact that you own stands play a part in your decision.
I have had a pair of Totem Fire monitors for a while now, and every time I venture out to listen to other monitors, the result is the same (the other speakers sound "different", but not "better").  These babies have pretty good bass (for monitors), but I've used a sub woofer with them.  They have excellent detail and imaging, and don't seem to be "picky" about room acoustics and placement.
Why even bother to change anything if you are moving?  The amp you get may sound fine now, but it may not be the best one moving forward. That's the part of audio I never understood.  Folks should look at their systems as a whole.  We all recommend speakers we have or want to buy. That's human nature and it's what the threads are for.  That doesn't mean that the speakers we may love will sound as good with an inferior amp or one that just doesn't mate well to it.  Just my two cents.

hi! i have XPA1L emotiva ,and i got the Usher Mini X sound beautiful  and  alot better .sound than my B&W 805D ...you should try the Usher MiniX  the bass is very good i don't need the sub