The Best Speakers for a Small Room

Well, Carl, we agreed that the maggies would be an excellent choice for our friend, whereas most of the other contributors never mentioned them at all. I will leave it to you to determine what universe that puts us in.

Here'e a second for the Spendor's. In addition to the 3/5, try the 3/1p. Don't be put off by their plain appearance and relatively modest price. Invest the difference in better electronics. And while I am reluctant to agree with Carl about anything, the Maggies are a great choice too. The Spendor's are more natural and transparent, but they highlight deficiencies in associated gear. The Maggies sound, well, fantastic, and given your preference in program material, would probably be more fun to listen to as your critical skills develop. Whatever you choose, make every effort to audition in your home, and try to make comparisons rather than listen to one at a time. Start with the traditional acoustical music you like. Then try solo piano and solo voice. Finally, work up to full scale stuff. Remember too, that with many of the speakers that have been recommended in this thread, you are going to hear pronounced differences in your source electronics. This can get confusing, as you need to decide if the differences you are hearing are due to the speakers or the electronics. But as you make more comparisons, you will gradually acquire the ability to make accurate distinctions, and thus good choices. The hardest thing is to take your time, but this is a must, or you will be looking for something else in 6 months. A good rule of thumb: when making your final choice, pick the speakers you would take if you were the only one who was going to listen to them.