Is $3000 pushing the limits for a geat monitor??

Reference 3A has good models. Very easy to drive, great Soundstage and a very coherent reproduction.

Jean Marie Reynaud Offrande are some of the finest, most musically satisfying, speakers I have everheard - whether monitor or floorstander. Paired with the right electronics, the performance is nothing short of spectacular.

Check out the reviews of the original versions, which have been improved on in the ensuing years

Bob Neil, in Enjoy The Music, directly compared them with the famous Spendor SP1/2's and Harbeths Monitor 30's.

Then, revisited the Offrandes a year later for Positive Feedback Magazine and elevated his already high opinion of the speakers to a new level

As i said, the later versions of this speaker are even better.

There are a pair for sale here at $3,750 with the matching factory Magic Stands (I have nothing to do with them)

Just today I listened to some very expensive systems comprising Linn, McIntosh, Vienna Acoustics, Wilson Benesch.
I came home and really enjoyed my Harbeth Compact 7s (the first version, I think around 1995). I go to the shows and dealers but when I come home I still appreciate the truly natural reproduction of tonality that my 20 year old Harbeths give. I use tube amps & preamp in a 18X20 room. 100 watts/channel & they can put out all the volume I think anyone would want.

Thanks to all who responded......Has anyone listened the Kings Sound Design speakers which use electrostatic drivers on top. They offer a bookshelf speaker called the Princess IIa which uses the electrostatic tweeter and
a standard 5.5 woofer. This model, I believe is being discontinued and is being offered on a Black /Friday sale. (See listing on Audiogon) Needs stands and placed close to the backwall. If anyone has listened to or owns them, please provide some feedback

Sunny,

The JMReynaud seem to favor high quality tube gear from my experience, but when everything is working these speakers are absolutely alive with naturalness, immediacy, and harmonic rightness and clarity, astonishingly good. I had a good friend who had Mani-2's driven by gorgeous Accuphase gear that sounded like excellent hi-fi but didn't ring my bell, didn't vanish, maybe a bad AC day. I haven't auditioned as many stand mount speaks as others here as I've been exclusively using floor standing for a while. But I can say that not since my Artemis eos monitors from a few years back, that were beyond belief transparent and HUGE imagers, have I heard a small reasonably priced monitor (under $3k) that impressed me. As I live in the Los Angeles area I decided to visit the Wavetouch Audio 'warehouse' and see what this guy was all about. Having heard his GT speaker last year I was impressed with many things it could do but was quickly aware of its shortcomings. Cutting to the chase...two weeks ago I went back and heard the Generation 2 version of this speaker and I can report that it is without doubt one of the most realistic and dynamic monitors speakers I have ever heard, NO BS. For $2k you can get an absolutely world class view into the potential of this hobby. The tonal balance has become so much more correct and the blending of drivers is world-class. One foot away from the front baffle and it sounds like one driver, remarkable for this price point. They are now in my home getting more fully broken in.
I also heard his SE version that has extreme quality parts etc that were similarly balanced but with greater transparency and smoothness. I haven't done any side by side yet with other monitors but it's clear that this guy has created a formula that's ridiculously... right. In my opinion these fall into the category of HUGE value. I'm using a Mosfet 165w x 2 of our own design, equivalent to a $10+k amp and an H-cat preamp.