Opinions wanted: 10-30K Speakers for Jazz/Folk

nhb1, in your room with that money IMHO there is only one way to go. Sound Labs will make custom versions of their loudspeakers. What you want are 8 foot tall 545's. The 545 is 24" wide about right for a 14 foot wall. Their normal 8 footers are way too wide at 40". An 8 foot line source in a room with 8 foot ceilings produces a more life sized image and projects power better than the common point source speaker. It is like being right up front vs back of the hall. The sound of a modern electrostatic speaker is just so....right. Distortion levels are much lower and there is no crossover avoiding those pitfalls. There is a level of detail missing from dynamic speakers. Once you are use to these, other speakers including Wilsons, Magicos and YGs will sound just like what they are, fake. ESLs sound real. Once you are use to them you will never listen to another dynamic speaker. Cost? Right around $20 grand plus shipping. Call or email Roger West and he will tell you what to expect. You can dandy them up any way you want but in my book satin black with black grill cloth is the way to go. They become part of the room. People walking into the room won't know what they are. When you tell them they are speakers they look at you funny. Another advantage of modern ESLs is they are indestructible. The only way you can hurt them is by running a sword through them. Your grandson can run right into them and it won't hurt them a bit. There is no amplifier that can hurt them under normal operating circumstances although there may be a few amps they make uncomfortable. You do not see many of them on the used market for a reason. 

There are a lot. You don’t know me, but I may like these the most for lighter music:

Soundlabs are amazingly transparent; easy and relaxing. My favorite sounding speaker and certainly the best ESL. No speaker is perfect. There is that hard "thawp" upon excursion limit. Some will complain about limited dynamics. Not me. Big tube amps.

YG Carmel II is also refined and has that fatigue free sparkle of ESL and ribbons but in the box form. Bass is dry and limited on this model. I preferred Gryphon amp over Audionet.

Voxativ 9.87 is possible under thirty although lists higher. Rolled off highs but otherwise not varied in the tonal balance. The best double bass reproduction I have heard. You can listen to them forever; they sound beautiful. Voxativ has their own electronics. Easy.

Vandersteen's Quatro CT 
The sound is like being there 
$16315.00

Check out spatial audio labs  open baffle speakers with Beyma AMT tweeters,midrange  and powered sub the x3,X5 under $10 k and the x3  beats many speakers 2x this ,
also the latest Wilson Audio speakers just under $20 k 
have tons of $$ trickle down technologies very detailed and musical , both brands different but excellent .

In today’s market there are many, many wonderful speaker systems in your stated price range. I know you are looking for suggestions but it just does not work that way. What sounds good to me may not sound good to you and what works in my room may not work in your’s. You simply must do some work here. Get out and listen to as many speakers and audio systems as you can. This is important because you have to learn HOW to listen. Find a good reputable dealer who’s opinions you can trust. When you are ready to purchase (either new or used) remember to match your speakers to your room and equipment. Good luck!