This is a pretty old thread that I somehow missed. So, I have to chime in with my opinion.

Surprisingly (at least, to me) no one has yet mentioned the legendary Dahlquist DQ-10's, which are my speakers of choice. The DQ-10, when fed the proper diet of power and current, and placed properly from a wall and the listener, still provides a miraculously deep and precise soundstage with pin-point imaging of just about everything. To all but "see" the various members of a chorus spread from the sopranos on the left, the altos left of center, the tenors right of center, and the basses on the right, and to be able to precisely locate the depth and breadth of each section is still an amazing accomplishment my far more expensive B&W 802F Specials simply cannot duplicate. The 10's are decidedly bass shy and must be accompanied by a decent subwoofer (preferably not the Dahlquist DQ-1W). but that combination, even now some 31 years after my initial purchase of my DQ-10's, continues to provide me with hours of sonic delights.

The 10's sold for $500 each (plus $100 for each of the stands) when I initially bought them, and prior to being discontinued, went up to $750 each. Every once in a while, Regnar (a facility manned almost exclusively by ex-Dahlquist employees) offers a completely reconditioned and up-graded pair of 10's for $1,500. There are better speakers out there for sure, but not at that price!