Warm romantic & detailed

I gotta say these Harbeths & Spendors you guys have recommended really are catching my attention. They seem to really check all the boxes I'm looking for, but can they handle modern pop music as well heavy rock? 

Consider KEF Reference 1. I like them better than my harbeth super HL5 plus. And I love those. I had a pair of Focal Electra 1008 BE. Nice speakers, but not in the same league as the KEFs or Harbeths.  

Love my Harbeth 30.2s in a similar sized room, plus a REL sub.  Everything you described in your wish list.  I’m extremely impressed with the Harbeths.  Fourth pair of different speakers I’ve had in that room, and these really nail natural tone without sacrificing air, transparency, and detail.  I probably arrived from the opposite side as you, with very relaxed NOLA models preceding these (I also had some Electras in there, sold them pretty quickly, not my cup of tea).  I’d say that what the Harbeths don’t do compared to Wilson’s in another (larger) room: throw a large and deep stage, invite large scale dynamics, deliver big impact. But if I had to listen to a reproduced human voice nonstop on a desert island, I think I’d opt for the Harbeths.  And resolving enough to genuinely discern VTA changes, cable swaps, different AC power handlers, ... that kind of thing. 

"Warm romantic & detailed"  - That's Sonus Faber sound signature. You may check the Olymica Nova range i think it will suit your budget

Sonus or Salk!