SMC recently shipped something to Cal without a Form 50. I know of a few others who do it (Amarbir used to, don't know about now).
The AE5 is a very good option, the tonality would probably suit home users better than studio monitors. The latter (both the Rokits and BX5A, as well as Adam) are usually voiced flat and meant to be used in treated environments and at close distances. Typically reflections make them sound bright, a lot of users prefer that sort of thing. You will need to listen to a few setups - not that there are many here to start with.
Under 20K is a tough call, there's really not that much out there, and even less when you go to active speakers.
Among passives, Cambridge Audio has the S30 (which is being sold in Cal well above what it should retail at) which is very nice but it needs an amp, apart from the Wharfies already mentioned. Not much else under 10K (assuming you set aside 10K for an amp).
The AE5 is a very good option, the tonality would probably suit home users better than studio monitors. The latter (both the Rokits and BX5A, as well as Adam) are usually voiced flat and meant to be used in treated environments and at close distances. Typically reflections make them sound bright, a lot of users prefer that sort of thing. You will need to listen to a few setups - not that there are many here to start with.
Under 20K is a tough call, there's really not that much out there, and even less when you go to active speakers.
Among passives, Cambridge Audio has the S30 (which is being sold in Cal well above what it should retail at) which is very nice but it needs an amp, apart from the Wharfies already mentioned. Not much else under 10K (assuming you set aside 10K for an amp).