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
Thanks!  I really appreciate all the advice in this thread and spent a lot of time googling pictures, hunting down demos, and reading reviews.  I made the right decision for me, and if looks and innocuous appearance are on your list, the Harbeths are a great way to go.  I loved the sound of the KEFs, but the appearance (orange tweeter looked like an orangutan's sphincter) were a bit problematic for the spousal unit.  lol
Not exactly the smallest set, but the Definitive Technology Studiomonitor 65s work great for me.. Pretty well reviewed too..
https://www.householdaudio.com/best-bookshelf-speakers/

The best small speaker I have heard, at that price point, has to be the B&W PM-1. I heard a pair of these on stands and could not believe the accurate tonality, clarity, soundstage and low tight bass. I really thought I was listening to the big floorstanders sitting next to them and I thought there was a subwoofer playing.
What about the Watkins generation 4.  A teaser in the Absolute Sound as golden ear winner? 
Ahh, William (Bill) Watkins Sr., inventor of the famous Infinity Watkins Dual Drive woofer. Dude is a genius. His son Bill Jr. is a pleasure to work with on driver refurbishment. Top drawer.

J. Gordon Holt was a big fan of the Watkins WE-1 loudspeaker.
http://www.stereophile.com/historical/683watkins/index.html

Dave