Is There a Speaker for Me/Impossible Requirements? (budget: $2000)


Well, I just lost a very long and detailed post. Here’s my second shot:
After years in headphone purgatory I’m finally dipping a toe into ’real’ hifi. Turns out, its not as straightforward as I expected.
My equipment: 320-lossless files into a Moon i-5 in a 9 1/2 x 11 1/2’ room with 7’4" ceilings and a large rug. No issues or concerns regarding acoustics nor any interest in treating. Listen at 60-90 db for 3-8 hours a day- music is all over the map but a strong preference for neo-classical/ambient (Olafur Arnalds, Nils Frahm, Jonsi and Alex, etc), baroque/solo piano, fingerstyle guitar, and ’indie’ (whatever that means nowadays).

After reading a whole lot I purchased the following speakers based on my headphone preferences (HD650):
Wharfedale Denton 80th Anniv: VERY forward, VERY mid-centric, and not at all for me. They seem to have the veil people associate with the Senns, though I’ve never experienced it myself.
Spendor S3/5: These are much more interesting. Imaging is amazing- they do seem to disappear completely on certain tracks. However, the sound is rather unexciting. Perhaps this is closer to neutral but I find the speakers end up falling into the background and don’t really pull me in to the music. Tonally, the 3/5 seems very coherent though the lack of visceral bass is quite evident.
Spendor SP-1: The best of the bunch to my ears. The imaging is maybe a little behind the 3/5 but the sound seems much more balanced with more bass presence. On some songs they sound a bit U-shaped (maybe a little ’thin’ vs the ’non-present’ 3/5) and not quite as unified (lack of mids?) as the other Spendor.

My hope is to find a speaker I can keep for a long time that fits my listening space and music preferences. Given my experience where would you head from here:
A) Keep the SP-1s and spend more time placing them within my space/experimenting with stands and/or upstream gear?
B) Get a sub for the S3/5 and compare against the SP-1 again?
C) Try for another speaker altogether? If so, my max budget would be $2000 with a preference for value. I do have a pair of Meadowlark Kestrels on their way to me, but I haven’t heard them yet. Harbeth, Totem, ProAc, Vandersteen, Ohm, and Revel all sound interesting to me.
Grateful for any thoughts,
NM
joincoolkidclub
With the music you described... if your ultimate goal is top end air, detail and three dimensionality...put the Sierra 2 with the RAAL tweeter on your audition list. 
Monitor Audio.

https://www.partsconnexion.com/monitor-gold4g-floorstnd.html

Those are a little outside your price range, but if you follow the bread crumbs  you can find the silver floor standers.
@smrex13 Do you feel like the solve the issues I identified with the S3/5 and the SP1? I suppose, at this point, that's how I would best describe what I was looking for- as a compromise between mid-centric/coherent/holographic (S3/5) and engaging/dynamic/visceral (SP-1)...
In a similar vein as the Harbeth, Spendor, Graham Audio group take a look at JM Reynaud from France.

You might want to try contacting this seller as the ad expired but I don't think he sold them.

https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lis9a90b-jean-marie-reynaud-bliss-silver-speakers-with-magic-stand...

The Vandersteen 1Ci might also give you what you are looking for.