Bang for the buck

+1 used Ohm Walsh

+1 used Tekton

Used GoldenEar Tritons

maybe a used KEF R700 or KEF R900. I demoed the R700 vs the KEF LS50 and they sounded the simular except the R700 was fuller in the base. Sounded great.

I agree with @jlr261 about the ranges of responses. Additionally, loads of suggestions that blow past your budget of <$2,000.

As to getting a good bang for your buck, a lot of that is going to be luck. I don't know anything about Salk speakers but I've seen a number of people say they're good but I've also seen a number of used Salk speakers up for resale. That may or may not mean anything. In any situation, it is always best to see if you can hear the speaker first. One thing about the audio community is that we are a lonely bunch (with respect to our hobby) and if someone wants to hear our stuff, we come alive. You probably can find some site with Salk owners and see if someone is near you.

The other thing is that your room is pretty small so some of the suggestions might be big speakers which will absolutely dominate the room especially if they have to be pushed out from the wall to get the best sound. I don't know if you live alone or have someone else who has to ok this but that is a factor. If you are listening in a near field position, that is also a factor because some speakers do better in that situation. 

I would suggest some bookshelf speakers that can be near the wall because you can probably get some very nice speakers with stands and a sub for your $2k. 

I went to an audio show last year and heard the KEF R3s and the Buchardt S400s. Buchardt also has a speaker which is the P300s which Steve Huff liked a lot. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axLxE_ojaTo&amp;t=690s

I also heard the Philharmonic BMR which the crowd voted as the best although I liked the KEF R3 and the Buchardt S400 better. I also liked the Totem Sky speakers which have been replaced I think with the Totem Bison.

Someone else mentioned the KEF LS50 meta and the KC62 as a killer combo and it probably is. You can easily find the LS50 meta used for about $1k or less. The sub is a little bit harder to find for that price since it is a newer product but probably could get it for about the same price. The JBLs I don't know other than seeing it at the show and not being that impressed. 

But that's another key. I listen to music critically and there are speakers that just sound like a party which doesn't really rock my boat but it does for others. An example, IMHO, is the Triangle Bro 3s. But those are inexpensive and can sound fun and you can buy them new from Amazon and return them if you don't like them. 

So the bottom line is to find a type of speaker you like and then either follow that speaker (looking used maybe?) or speakers that are like those speakers. I found my endgame bookshelf speakers in that way, Nola Boxer S3s which I was lucky enough to find almost new on the cheap from the Canuck Audio Mart.  

I am gonna toot my own horn and say Closer Acoustics OGY. The ASR community will vomit in their mouths hearing this because single driver speakers = poop (in their dogma). But hear me out:

- In a flat room configuration and speaker placement is usually compromised. You can't beat the off-axis response of a single driver. 

- You can't beat the midrange clarity and bass speed of single driver speakers with transmission lines. There are so many speakers around 1000€ which measure well, have good reviews but you struggle to hear dialog during movies and everything sounds warm & chesty. I am referring to Dynaudio specifically. 

- Single driver speakers are so easy to drive. Even the worst 10W class D chip amp can drive them.

- Even the $5k MoFi speakers aren't built as well. The cabinet on the OGY is a laser-cut plywood sandwich. You can pay extra for a corian finish. It's way sturdier than veneer. They build kitchen countertops with that stuff. The driver is hand-built in France with a field-coil. So it's ridiculously fast. 

Other speakers I liked:

- KEF LS50 Meta active (I am sure the passive model rocks too). 

- Q Acoustics 3020. Don't let the rock-bottom price fool you! I could happily live with these. The bass is a bit loose. But the midrange clarity can almost compete with my OGY. 

I don't like:

- Dynaudio Xeo 10. Sounds chesty and muffled. But the bass is nice. At a 1000€ you're better off saving money and getting a Denon RCD N11 + Q Acoustics 3020 + speaker stands and have spare change.