JBL HDI 3600 Towers are on sale at Crutchfield (use the 4 ohm output tabs of your amp):

My son has the prior generation of Monitor Audio Silver 500, which he loves, are beautiful, and are an amazing value.  The 7Gs are even more transparent according to Stereophile. I would definitely listen to these! 

If you have the room the Tekton double impacts (with grills) would be hard to beat.  Efficient with a room filling presentation.  They are big but have a following and lots of reviews 

"My listening preferences are eclectic."

Not sure what that means, but I'm going to assume you want a "general purpose" loud speaker. 

With a budget of $3K, I'd second the DI from Tekton. 

May also want to look at the used market.....there are some killer deals to be had out there.

@coralkong Yes, my listening preferences are eclectic means that I want a versatile speaker that will sound great with a wide variety of music.

Save yourself a grand!

https://www.vandersteen.com/products/model-1ci

@danager   I would stretch a bit for the Moabs.   Don't apologize for size.

@carlsbad   sound wise I agree the MOABs are a slam dunk but it's like having two NBA power forwards standing in your living room.  Pulled out from the wall where they can sound so good they dominate.  At least my corner horns are out of the way occupying "non living space" .  

@danager accept no compromise.😎

The Carina is a terrific speaker. I use mine in a smaller room. But with the price now below $2000, for a larger room the Carina and a sub or 2 (depending on various factors, 1 or 2),  should sound great.

+2 for the 7Gs

Currently my favorite floor stander in your price range is the Paradigm

Founder series. Used you could get the 100s. 

Something from GoldenEar. The Triton 3+ fit your price point, sound great, and don't need a subwoofer. 

I have not heard the tekton double impact but I have had my moabs for almost 3 years and they still put a smile on my face.

Plus one @mrskeptic,  But if you can stretch your budget a bit, the GoldenEar, Triton Two Plus is amazing for $4500 a pair. 

Hello! I just purchased some Spendor A4’s which were about $4K and I love them, especially since I had a space issue and needed something very discreet. Depending on the size of your space, you could consider the A2’s which are about $3K and Rob at audio art cable (great dude!) is selling a demo pair for under $2K with warranty etc. which would leave budget for some of his awesome cables or a subwoofer. 

I highly recommend the Spendor. Otherwise I hear the Dali Oberon’s are pretty sweet.

@curiousjim  That's actually what I have but tried to stay within his budget. I expect these to be my last speakers, barring Powerball as an income source. 😄

Pair of Totem  Acoustic Forest Signature on here for $2.9K.

Thanks for all of the feedback.  I am leaning towards buying new so that I can have the benefit of an in home audition.  There is so much individual taste in speakers as this thread already demonstrates that I want to make sure whatever I get is something truly suits me.

The Monitor Audio Silver line are a nice modestly priced speaker, very musical. I love my M.A Platinum PL300II. 

Dali Opticon 6 Mk2 has more musicality than Oberon 9. Not a fan of Golden Ear. Totem makes great speakers but new out of your zone. 

Have you checked out Ohm Walsh Towers? Depending on the size of your room they will be right around your price range. I have a fairly large space and my Ohm Walsh 2000's have no problem filling the room and creating a very large and detailed soundstage. They are also designed to be placed near the front wall so it makes placement in difficult to treat rooms super easy. They are hand made in Brooklyn, Ny and they have a very generous in home trial period. 

Another nod for Ohm. I have the 3000’s in a large room. No issues and outstanding sound. Check them out.

My favorite sounding speaker in this price range is the Vandersteen Model 2Ce. I've had others and in fact have something else right now but I wish I had my 2Ce's back. At some point, I will.

Salk Sound

You can view buying used as in home addition. I bought a pair of Quads and compared them against my existing Focals before I moved the Quads on down the road.   Didn't have any trouble selling them.  You can try 2 or 3 pair and still save money over new.  But of course its tricky.  lot of factors to consider. 

Is your amp a SLI-100 integrated? How "large" is your room? Avoid "home theater" and "party" designed type of speakers. The best 2 examples could be the Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G or the Sonus Faber Lumina V. Have not heard the 500 7G but was impressed with the Lumina at <$3000. I’m considering a Nova 2 as an upgrade from my Focus Audio FS8. If your music tastes are >33% current pop/metal/hip-hop/techno the Monitor Audio should have the edge. Jazz/classical/well recorded music would favor the Sonus Faber due to class leading tonality/timbre.

A big room?  Efficient needed.

Horn speakers can be high priced based on your budget.  I bought Crites.  They require finishing(possible show stopper for some.  Currently they are $2200 delivered.  The speakers set up properly are very good sounding and 100 dB efficient.

I have seen these veneered and they are beautiful.  Mine are clear coated Baltic Birch.  My last speakers, unless I  move to smaller place.

MA for sure. If you HAVE to have a tower.

+1 I go with Double Impact or Moab.

I agree with the Moab's, however, if size is an issue, then definitely consider the Double Impacts or the Pendragons; right in your price range. Incredible value and incredible products. I own a pair of Moab's with the Be tweeters. Could not be happier, and I've owned some impressive models of other speakers over the years.

Just purchased Martin Logan Motion 60XTi. Very efficient,Sensitivity 94. Plenty of bass,FR. 35-25,000 Hz. and the vocals are really good... We like them.

I liked the SALK Song3 Encore’s at the RMAF,

I have the Tekton Double Impact SE and the Vandersteen 2CE Sig II. Both these speakers are recommended here but offer a different presentation. Vandy's are more laid back. The Tektons have more bass and deeper and more upfront sound. They would match very well with your amp. 

+1 on Martin Logan Motion towers, Salk Song, and Dali Oberon.

Depending on your room's cubic footage, either the Ohm Walsh 1000 or 2000.  I have had my 2000s since 2009, and the honeymoon is still going strong.

@mrskeptic 

It took me about 7 months before I was able to hear a pair of those and the the One R’s. My dealer couldn’t get them and when he got some they were sold and delivered to the buyers.

I have the Monitor Audio Silver 500's and really like them. Check out the 7Gs as others have suggested.

Eminent Technology LFT-8b. Feel free to ignore the best value in a hi-fi loudspeaker; everyone else does.

I just got a pair of the Walsh Tall 2000s and agree they sound great. The unique 360 degree aspect with super tweeters pointed at the rooms center enable everyone in the room to high quality audio. Also placement is easy and near walls is not a problem. Also reccomended is any used Joseph Audio Tower, such as a 25XL Signature, you could get those used for under $2K.

KEF R5. Great all around speaker with plenty of bass. The dealer told me about the extra foam pieces that can optionally be inserted to reduce the bass!  

I put them on top of platforms (because of a suspended hardwood floor) to remove internal vibrations that clarifies and focuses even further. The deal I got was too good to pass up (R500s, the R5 precursor). I think they can still be had new as leftovers out there and they are a steal under $2K. Not sure how much better you can get for $3K.

I like to audition them, which limits the list to what local dealers sell. Plus moving them around is a pain for auditioning in the home. The best you can do is compare them to other speakers with the same source and electronics.

Jcatdcat I can’t imagine how good the MOAB with Be tweeters.

The KEF R5 and Eminent Technology LFT-8b were mentioned. Both can be solid performers at the $3k(new) price point but have some serious caveats. The LFT-8 needs serious power due to an extremely low sensitivity level, then add the room placement and appearance factors. The KEF R5 needs higher level electronics to be competitive with other $3k class leading speakers. Also the built quality of the Chinese made KEF R series could be a deal breaker for some. There are many variables to consider when purchasing loudspeakers.

If you're on the East Coast, your best value at $3000 is this set of Linkwitz Orions.

Save yourself over a grand and at least think about the Polk Audio Reserve R700. They are currently on special for $825 each (down from $1100 each retail), free shipping, 30-day trial from Audio Advice, B&H, Crutchfield, and others.

Andrew Robinson's review made plain they are sonically very, very good, and neutral sounding. They go down to 38Hz so yeah, you'd want to budget for a good subwoofer to get that last octave.  

Other speakers might beat them on looks (they are vinyl wrapped to help meet that price point) but dang, Andrew compared them to $10K Wharfedale Elysians and said that no, the Polks weren't embarrassed at all. 

See his review on YouTube.  You could then take the extra grand or so and put it towards a better DAC, streamer, phono amp, or your liquor cabinet. 

Sonus Faber has a speaker in that price range that is worth a listen. I heard the JBL’s at a show and they sounded great. Also maybe listen to the Klipsch Forte. 
I ended up with Cornwall IV,s and they are pretty great. I heard Forte’s and they are also impressive. Unfortunately, I have never heard Tekton’s although I would love to some day. Supposedly the Polk R700 is big bang for the buck at 2k. 

I agree that if you can stretch to $4300, I agree the Spendor A4 would be my choice. They can be placed in small to larger rooms, they are fairly easy to drive and once broken in, are a great all-arounder that has very good bass and offers a very balanced sound. Breaking them in will take some time, but once they settle in, they can play soft yet stay dynamic. They also play nice with a variety of gear, both tube or solid state. I have a pair on order.

I appreciate all the feedback.  I knew there would be a lot of opinions and I have at least looked at every suggestion in this thread.  I have not decided, but I am leaning in one direction.  I will post when I pull the trigger on an audition and of course, my thoughts on the speakers.