What is under $5k speaker with best bass slam?

Define bass slam? I don't know. Something I can feel with my body. Thump, slam, shockwave, etc

If you are looking for high impact shockwave rather than resonant or warm muddy or dull but impressive bass - i.e. you want short duration but something that hits very hard so you feel rather than only hear it - then look at "critically damped designs" with pro woofers of 8" or more.

JBL's. Tannoys. ATC etc.

For example a pair of Genelec 8050A new (including built in amps) will set you back about $4500...and give plenty of SLAM in a medium sized space. I would say 8" is a minimum as few six inchers have much slam and two six inch woofers rarely equals an single 8 inch. Also be wary of ported designs if the port is designed to give the speaker bass extension...good luck!

I think you may find the Mahlers will be in the warm but impressive direction rather than pure "slam" or tight bass. Of course, I may have misinterpreted your meaning of "slam"...

Like Shadorne's advice, I also thought about using pro speakers. But I wonder if there's any good looking pro speakers that will not ruin the indoor scene of my house.

Not that I can think of. They all have an industrial look. The Genelec's in White look pretty cool though...

I'm on the same page a Bill - of course I suspect this is because we share the same concept of slam. Short transients that pressure the room/ears - it is almost more of a feeling than "sound" as it is so transient. This is completely different from tremendous impressive bass - my speakers with 12" woofers have very little heavy bass response - on most music it is nearly all transient effects at the low end that you perceive..... except, of course on double bass and organ if you get my meaning.

To get the full impact you also need to buy the right music - try Keb 'Mo "Slowdown" album - it has a very nice dynamic recording of drums - and use this to audition speakers. You also may need to buy acoustic treatments and use a bass management system to get a reasonably flat in room response....room modes can mess up slam too. Perception of Slam is also related to the way the 3 to 5 KHz region behaves ....many audiophile designs are deliberately rolled off in the upper mid range region (for that more polite laid back enjoyable sound) and this will reduce the perception of slam ....which is why I suggested giving pro speakers an audition.

I suspect the Genelec's may be a wee bit small in a 20 by 20 foot room but if you don't listen loud it may be worth a try.

A guy I bought an amp from had the the SCM 150's and played traditional Japanese and Chinese drum music on them - holy crap! Explosive dynamics, incredible timbre, and sheer power. Yet, everything was crystal clear.

Holy crap! - is a fair assessment - it is almost impossible not to flinch or blink when you crank a pair of SCM150's on uncompressed drum music (those rare recordings like the Naxos Hok-Man Yim Poems if Thunder or Sheffield Labs Drum track). It can still startle you even though you know what is coming and when (after having heard the tracks many times).