Speakers under $5000 maintained a reputation for quality sound over the last 15 years.

Vandersteen +2
Magnepan, Shahinian, Quad, ProAc are a few others.
B

Ohm Walsh, JBL, Klipsch, another +1 for Vandies, SoundLab, Bowers & Wilkinson, Sonus Faber, Ascend Acoustics, Salk, Selah.

I've owned at least one from except SoundLab... some day, some day

My best friend had Sound Lab A1's.  WHAT THEY COULD DO!

For fun...we played 350 w/channel into each - and played an excellent recording of a steam-powered ralroad train approaching at max speed from afar...getting closer ( you start to feel vibrations in the floor) ..closer  (the house's wooden floor is rumbling now)....closer still ( the floor is shaking -...the train roars past ( the floor is threatening to rip away from the walls !!!!)  .  I WAS SCARED OUT OF MY SHOES!!!  
                    Neither of us had the guts to do it again.

Audio Note both the AN-J and AN-K.

vandersteen, Magnepan, Sonus Faber for sure....