Need Small Bookshelf Speakers With a Big Sound


Good morning.  I have been out of any kind of audiophile circles for a long time.  We moved into a house with built-in speakers about 5 years ago, which I really enjoy, but of course it's better for casual listening at a party than for quality listening.  Our family room is in a pretty open space that borders our living room and kitchen, so my wife is very focused on speakers being unobtrusive in appearance.  I was therefor looking for small speakers and got turned onto KEF LS50s, which sounded really nice for the price, and more than good enough for my desires.  And they are small.  But I didn't really focus on their "untraditional" looks.  It turns out that was a deal-breaker when I brought them home to demo.

So, I am back to square one.  What I would really like is a speaker that is about the size of the LS50s, or maybe a little bigger, and has a nice looking, traditional wood finish.  Bright colors and artificial surfaces, no matter how good they sound, need not apply...

I would say my self-imposed budget is around $2,000 at the top.  Unless new speakers leads me down the audiophile slippery slope, the speakers would be powered by my old Adcom 545 II amp and GTP 500 II tuner, with either an Adcom CD changer or Apple TV streaming the music.  Not exactly Audiogon Best In Class, but I think it will bring a smile to my face.  And you never know if this will lead to upgrading the whole shebang.

Any thoughts appreciated.  Not that it matters, but I am in the Chicagoland area.
chiguy
I had the same issue with the LS50. Instead, I got the KefR300. It is to my ears better than the LS on the bass end and a little less bright on the high. In piano black it looks great in my living room and my wife is good with the look. I thought the R100 viable too though it had less bottom end. I have the Spendors recommended and feel they are not good rock speakers...great for jazz and acoustic and voices. I also have Ohms Walsh units and love them.

chiguy,click on my user name,click "Details" & then click on "MIGHTY Mouse"...
oem-wheels,my room is the same size as yours 11'x 12'x8'..They are 32" from back wall to front baffle & 36" from side wall to center of speaker.I tried them as far as 5' out from the back wall,imaging & sound staging was unreal but the sound thinned out to much in the bass so they went back a bit...
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Thanks everyone for all the ideas.  I will resume looking in a couple of weeks and let everyone know what I come up with.  I appreciate all the good advice.