Hi, Patrick:
I've recently been auditioning smaller speakers with a good friend, and we've heard several that impressed me. And, if your friend is willing to buy used gear, then there are 6-8 very good choices that he should consider:
1. Totem Rainmakers ($900 MSRP)
2. B&W 602.5 S3 ($700 MSRP)
3. ProAc Tablette Reference 8 ($1200 MSRP)
4. Bohlender Graebner Radia Z ($800 MSRP) -- Taller than a small monitor, but performs like one.
5. Krix Equinox ($600 MSRP) -- I have ap pair of these in my "office" system, and like them very much. Infact, I think the entire Krix (Australian) line deserves more recognition than it gets.
6. Spendor S3/5 ($1100 MSRP)
And, last, a speaker which gets very little notice today, but which is one of the finest small monitors on the market (I owned a pair for 4 years and loved them):
7. the Sequerra Pyramid MET-7 ($850, direct sale from Sequerra Audio). If you can find a used pair, they'd be a fine buy. They are also quite efficient, rated at 91db sensitivity. For more info on these speakers, go to the following link:
http://www.sequerra.com/electronics/data/index.html
Best regards, Patrick. Hope this post finds you doing well.
Scott C-