Best speaker a wife would tolerate

Anything that sounds good when concealed in a cabinet with the doors closed. Good luck.

Not sure what budget you're looking at, but I've a few recommendations - B&W Nautilus 805, Nautilus 802, and Sonus Faber Concerto. They are all great at the pricepoints, and seem to score high on the femme factor. My girlfriend bought our pair of N805s, so they certainly met her approval :-)

My wife loved the NHT2.9's I got, she thought the tight, black lines were very cool, especially in the high gloss finish. I am now getting Vienna Accoustics Mahler in Beach, which happens to match both type of wood and design style of our furniture, so those went over OK as well, although they are a bit big for her taste. She wants my B&W gone... Waaaaaaaaay gone...

Take a look at Thiel 1.5. Small floor standing, etal. Check audioreview.com
Sound goog. Have tied in a Velodyne subwoofer for base

After years of listening to my wife complain about my Vandersteens (as noted above - big black things), about a month ago I replaced them with Totem Arros .... incredibly small and elegant floorstander, and they don't seem to mind being placed close to the wall (another big consideration). ( I got a thumbs down on any monitor that needed to be placed on a stand .... ) Oh yeah ... they sound great too....
So far so good (but then I haven't yet broken the news about the REL sub that's going to have to join the Arros.....)