Commonly mentioned speaker brands?

I gotta say that almost every brand mentioned in the posts on this site are of definite quality. Yeah, the musical tastes on this site do tend toward classic 60's - 70's era rock but that's okay. Long story short -- if you can't make your way to an actual speaker audition and must mail order, the recommendations here are a pretty good place to start. Find your price range. Phone or somehow get hold of a dealer. Let the process begin.

people who have the kind of taste that frequent a site like this, or are they generally recognized as superior brands?

Yes and yes.

Not sure of the exact brands.

The greatest performers in my experience are:

Sonus Faber

Magico (you better have really good electronics… or you are going to hear their faults.

Wilson

Yeah, these are exceptional performing speakers.

Also,

Honorable Mention:

Focal

B&W are a bit like MAC electronics… you like mostly rock, they sound great… if you have a much larger pallet… look elsewhere.

Depending on your exposure there a few others folks will mention.