Monitors that compete with quality floorstanders??

I think you are comparing apples and oranges. My experience tells me that monitors give you excellent sound staging and a disappearing act and floor standers give you deeper bass and a bigger presence, depending on amplification of course. How deep do you want your bass? How large is the room? I just don't know how to compare them side by side. It's a tough decision and I'm afraid you will have to buy some used speakers and trial and error. Good luck.

If you can live without the room-shaking bass, look for a used pair of Sonus Faber Electa Amators. With a 6" woofer, and the famous Dynaudio Esotar tweeter, you would be hard pressed to find a better sounding speaker, IMO. At around $2.5-$3K used (with the original walnut/marble stands), I believe you would find what you are looking for. Just my two cents!

Reference 3A de Capo's. They go from 42H-40K. beautiful, open, punchy monitors.

I second the Ref 3A DeCapo. Best Largish monitor I have heard & owned.

In general monitors give a more touchable and free image of instruments and voices.

But when you have brands which make exeptional good croosovers, even 3 way spakers can give the same level of a touchable and full free image of instruments and voices.

When the freq. response is bigger you hear more information and yess the overwhole sound is more fun.

I did a comparison with the Dynaudio C1 and the Monitor Audio Pl-100.

Monitor audio makes even better crossovers than Dynaudio makes. The stage is wider and deeper. But also the rinnontweeter of the Pl-100 gives a better touchable image than the Esoar tweeter does. There is also more authority over the high freq. There is even more decay. With live recordings you can easily hear the differences.