just found this thread and don't know if you're still checking out different bookshelf speakers, but if you haven't already, you should check out the Usher BE718.
I believe the MSRP was real close to $3000 and I'm not sure they're produced anymore, but I read a ton of reviews before I scored a pair on the used market for my office and I think you would find them t be a standout in the crowd. I researched quite a bit before I scored a pair on the used market and given that I hung out for a minute and waited for something to show up ... I think it only took two months, but including delivery I paid twelve hundred total.
Looking at them, you would think (I would think) that they're Italian, because I think they're sexy as hell. But like I said, I read a ton of reviews and learned that they're actually produced in Taiwan. The story is that someone decided they were going to produce a bookshelf speaker that included everything someone would look for in a bookshelf speaker ... or something to that effect.
I haven't been in to high end stereo for very long and personally wasn't aware of the Usher brand, but I guess they've made some nice speakers along the way.
The thing that every review mentioned is the bass response. The bass is not boomy, it's very solid and the thing that's surprising is just how low it goes. I think we hear this from time to time ... that "you really don't need a subwoofer with these speakers" but with these it's true. They definitely need to be fed some power, as a matter of fact I would call them power hungry, but when you do feed them some good solid power you will be rewarded handsomely.
The image and soundstage is exceptional, even in terms of what bookshelf speakers can do. Interestingly, the shape of the cabinet is literally almost identical to the shape of the bass cabinet of my Martin Logan Summits. Like I said I'm kind of newbie so I'm not real sure how that translates into performance in the real world but I'm thinking it's way more than cool looks, and the similarity with my ML's is interesting.
The thing that's most special, to me anyway is the beryllium tweeter. I scored these speakers for my office, but I set them up right next to my ML Summits and was kind of blown away that they actually do strings better than my ML's. Along with the way they soundstage and the bass response, esp that it's so low I think they're just a real standout standpoint performer.
Oh one more thing I learned about them from reading reviews. Apparently Usher produces their own midrange speakers, and in this particular model they use their top of the line 7", if I'm not mistaken. I'm thinking that's one of the reasons they perform so well though. From a price performance standpoint I bet they'll stack up pretty well.