what is the best sounding speakers for under 5000.

"Best" is in the eye/ear of the beholder. There is no definitive "best" anything, it's all subjective. When you ask a question like this, the answers will always be what folks think is "best" to them in their system as attested in the responses you've already gotten.

Based upon the reviews published in the past 4-5 years, it would seem that the Gallo Reference 3.1 or 3.5 would be at or near the top of the heap...

-RW-

I agree completely with Tpreaves. it's not going to be a competition at all. I just wanted to see for myself which ones worked best in my room, with my equipment, with the music I listen to. if you're in SF you're more than welcome to come by and hear for yourself, once they both show up.

I'm very interested in the Tempestra/Cirrus comparison as well. 3-way vs 2-way, inexpensive pre-built cabinet vs custom designed and built.
Both use some of the best components available and have well built crossovers.

Now for something completely different:

Per Atmasphere (and others): Audiokinesis, but....

I'd think about the sealed Swarm subwoofer system at $1700.
Add a Velodyne SMS-1 subwoofer management system at $400.

The remaining +/- $3K would buy some great speakers from Ohm, Magnepan, or Pioneer/TAD (just sticking to brands already mentioned), depending on your preference for omnis, dipoles, or good, old-fashioned "drivers in a box".

This would require pre-amp "in/out" connectivity on your integrated, so I'm not sure it would be workable with the Vincent. If it is, this approach will get you a full bandwidth system (Swarm), seamless integration of subs (SMS) with very smooth bass response (Swarm +SMS). Choose the flavor you prefer above 80hz.

Marty

PS If you don't want subs scattered all about the room, a pair of SVS or Rythmik subs gets you to a substantially similar place for pretty much the same money.