Active speakers: Audioengine vs other brands. Opinions?

A friend of mine asked me about alternatives to the Audioengine A5 active speakers. He wants a pair of good sounding powered monitors with the classic/traditional looks (his wife must match the speakers with the room decoration...). Besides the Audioengine I'm only familiar with the new Dali Zensor 1 AX, but I know there are plenty of good boxes from a variety of brands (KEF, Focal, Klipsch, ...).
Any suggestions?