Bookshelf Recommendations

A lot of great options mentioned. I suggest you audition before purchase if able. There are great deals to be had on the used market but I’d avoid going that route unless it’s quite obvious the speakers can be easily flipped.

 In theory, your square room is an acoustic nightmare, which means an in-home audition is your best bet for long-term enjoyment.

 The factory-direct brands (Ascend Acoustics, Zu, Omega, Buchardt, etc.) tend to offer generous, no-hassle, money-back guarantees and trial periods. Their product value also benefits from cutting out the middle-men. I think that’s especially true concerning the $1K price range.

Another speaker you should consider is the Seas A26 Kit from Madisound. Total price per pair with pre-assembled cabinets (for the U.S. market) comes to $1224. All that’s required of the buyer is some very simple assembly that any caveman could handle. If their drivers were sold individually, they’d account for about $841 of the cost per pair. These same drivers are used in some speakers that retail for over $10K. The speaker has a front slot port which will allow for greater flexibility in placement - a must in a 12x12’ room.

https://www.madisoundspeakerstore.com/2-way-speaker-kits/seas-a26-10-2-way-kit-pair-based-on-the-classic-a25/

Guttenberg just did a post on size a couple of days ago...it matters more than you realize!  12” baby 👶🏻 

What's the sensitivity on that Madisound kit?

What's the sensitivity on that Madisound kit?

Pretty low IIRC. I believe it's something like 84db, though that shouldn't be a problem in the OP's small room.

@mesch....Replacing a well worn pair of Wharfedale Diamond III’s.

Backstory is that my wife retired from teaching last fall, and her former, home office room can now be utilized as a dedicated listening space. The Carver & CJ will be coming out of hibernation to drive speakers more deserving than the aforementioned Wharfedales, which will continue to see service in a modest AV set-up. Far superior to the TV’s built in speakers.

A pair of Sonus Faber Venere 1.5’s just got past me on eBay, so the hunt continues. Still liking the Vandy 1Ci’s, but the Keymaster’s not quite onboard, even though it’s quite modest in size.

Standmounts [of some variation] are the compromise that’ll have the best chance of passing muster.

And yes, I have almost no say-so re the heated sq. ft. areas of my home. Concession to dedicated garage and driveway space for collector car...