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
Go for small open baffle speakers. Hawthorne Audio make some very nice ones. They present a very open and wide soundstage.
How about a Totem Dreamcatcher, very dynamic for rock,  or for a nicer finish a used pair of Model-1 Sugnature? lots of sound for the money
Maybe you can find a nice set of vintage Klipsch or better yet Altec horn loaded speakers, they sound great and I think most come with a set of balls .
I was just told, that was just bad of me to say, by my better half.
I'm sure she rules the roost in the house but you should be able to have the speakers you want.
You sound like you are a reasonable guy, I wouldn't think you would come in the door and say ,Hey honey ,I found these A7's and what a deal,  the couch will have to go of course, don't worry kids like to sit in the floor!
Yes honey they are antiques, I knew you would like that , and they still have the grey patina on them, It's a win , win!
I know this doesn't help the OP but I just resurrected a pair of AR4x speakers which are definitely small and still worked after (gasp!) 51 years... no cone separations and great wood cabinets! No wonder that era is named the Golden Age of Audio. Kudos AR.