Lately I've been seriously auditioning bookshelf speakers under $1k, and for the most part I've been quite disappointed. I did come across a new one, however, that both I and my most experienced audiophile friend have been raving about -- the new HSU CCB-8. They are a bit larger in size than most bookshelves, but their sound is impressive. Just make sure you take the grills off when you listen. For some reason the grills have a significant muffling affect on the speakers.