Speaker Recommendation: 20K range

Hello chandybe ~

Thanks for your post and congrats on what will undoubtedly be a wonderful, exhausting
and 'enlightened' journey! You certainly should have high expectations, given your budget
and I applaud your 'courage' to put this request out there with as many opinions as you will find responses. That's not to say you will not benefit from the various degrees of opinions; only that no one will know as much as you when you finally confront the experience of that one, almost unexplainable moment when your next speaker finds YOU and takes you home...and that should happen AT home!

I think every serious consideration HAS to be auditioned in your room and that's extremely difficult unless you are prepared to spend a great deal of time AND can find dealers (you will not likely find one with everything you should consider) that are willing to allow their speakers out of their hands, even with a significant deposit.

Your concerns about compatibility with your electronics is valid, but your room is FAR more important than your gear. You have to get the various models into your space; with your electronics before you should make any commitment.
My opinion... 

I would add to the list of wonderful speakers already put forth, the remarkable
Bowers & Wilkins 802D3 and the Martin-Logan Renaissance 15.
Both models are a little over your budget, but the B&W's could likely be bought for $20,000
or in the case of the ML's, a little over $21,000.

They represent very different approaches to sound reproduction, but both have that 'magical' ability to transport you to somewhere else and given your already high standards, based on your current set-up, you probably have to spend what you're prepared to spend to get that 'significant' improvement you are looking for.

You will be surprised how each speaker interacts with your room (for better or worse) and the type of music you enjoy will no doubt play some role in which model you respond to the most.
The relationship with your dealer has to be of some importance. With such a significant expenditure, you want to be sure you have their support and ultimately, their respect.

I hope this finds you well and working through these 'interesting times'
Have a great time with this; I'm sure once you find your next speaker, it will provide years and years of enjoyment. 

Best regards,
Jim Gray
Jim Gray Designs
jimgraydesigns.com
850.509.9473

bassdude2I have been eyeballing those Legacy speakers for awhile now. If I had the cash of the OP, I would be auditioning a couple in the Legacy lineup. They seem to have really tightened up their build quality in the past deacde, a local dealer used to carry them when the build quality was poor and stopped carrying them. I like the Legacy, the Vandersteen and a few by Volti Audio, like these http://voltiaudio.com/vittora/. The Vittora comes with an ultra low frequency bass driver that would really push in those low frequencies. Not to mention the extreme beauty of the wood cabinet finish- they look very retro-cool.
OP... BTW the Volti is right at your price point....https://parttimeaudiophile.com/2013/02/17/hello-goodbye-six-weeks-with-the-volti-audio-vittora/

I own a set of Sopra 2’s and they sound excellent. My system is all tube gear, but I have heard them with the Mcintosh components you have. In smaller rooms, the Focal’s can sound a little bright, as do B&W, but a larger room should help.  Room treatments did wonders for my system, so I recommend, as others have, that you give some thought to them. 

I have also auditioned some some of the speakers you are considering. Sopra will Sound much better than Kanta in every way. They are really in different leagues. Given your budget, Sopra 3 is a better choice than 2. They are the same drives for tweeter and midrange, but the 3’s have more body in the lower octaves. B&W, in my opinion Sound a little thin until you get power running through them. Once the volume goes up, they will open up and sound really nice. 

Dali and Dynaudio speakers will be a totally different sound than Focal or B&W. They are much more laid back. Given that your electronics are a little laid back, I would caution that you may swing to far in the other direction if you aren’t careful. Definitely audition them if you can, but I would spend significant time with them before making the purchase to ensure you will be happy 6 months later. 

Monitor Audio has the PL II series. The 200 and 300 are in your price range. I have the 100s, which are stand mount. They are fab. The 200 and 300 have been very well reviewed. 
My experience with Monitor speakers has been great...

Tuff decision. I also want to upgrade from Aerial 10T’s I’ve had for 18 yrs. 
I live in Florida now but I’m from NYC originally and going back to visit family on 10/31/18. I’ll be there for the audio show 11/9-11/18 although the show doesn’t look so good. 
Here’s something to think about:
After listening to Andrew Jones speak about speaker design, I’ve decided to consider an active speaker because they avoid the shortcomings introduced by cross over networks.