Non fatigueing speaker under 1500

I think the Meadowlark Swift is a good choice, but I like the Vandy's too. You may want to consider the fact that alot of your "hardness and glare" comes from the CD's that you listen to. If you played vinyl, much of that would simply not be there, and much more music as a bonus.

Also, your bare hardwood floors and little furniture are not helping matters any.

I too am on a similiar quest. One possibility is Spendor loudspeakers. I'm familiar with the S 3/5 and if the larger
models are voiced similiar but with greater bass that might
be the ticket! Another possibility might be Vienna Acoustics "Bach." I have not heard this loudspeaker personally, but I might that the plunge sight unseen because
I like the size, appearance (Beech finish), and price. Vandersteen 2Ce Sig. could also be a possibility. I owned the 1B for a time and I enjoyed them. If the size doesn't
bother you they are a good choice. I don't know if video
shielding is important to you. The Spendors and Vienna Acoustics are shielded, I believe, however the Vandersteen
are not. If you are near a Snell dealer you might want to check out a Qbx series floorstander. I have no idea how they sound but if they sound somewhat like their older products that's good. Speakers with soft-dome tweeters are probably a better choice for the sound you're looking for.
Hope things work out well. Bill

I'm a fan of the Magnepan 1.6QR: very seamless and coherent, spacious, clean high frequencies without
sounding harsh or brittle. It retails for slightly
more than your specified $1500, but is occasionally
available for $1100-1200 on the used market.