These should be a slam-dunk improvement over the Paradigms, silly good for the $$$$:
https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lis9h141-jean-marie-reynaud-bliss-silver-full-range
Just be sure to buy the stands also if you go that route.
I'd avoid floorstanders - there's a good possibility they'd overload a room that size, and the ones in your budget range tend to have noisy cabinets that will worsen rather than improve the soundstage.
Speakers aside, I agree with others that room treatments are probably your best bet. But there are no hard rules as to what should be placed where. I find that I don't like any absorption or diffusion behind the speakers but I do like it between the speakers. However, if your speakers are close to a wall, you might want some diffusion behind them as otherwise, the reflected waves would be too near in time to the initial waves.
If indeed your speakers are near the forward wall, try moving them out a couple feet.
https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lis9h141-jean-marie-reynaud-bliss-silver-full-range
Just be sure to buy the stands also if you go that route.
I'd avoid floorstanders - there's a good possibility they'd overload a room that size, and the ones in your budget range tend to have noisy cabinets that will worsen rather than improve the soundstage.
Speakers aside, I agree with others that room treatments are probably your best bet. But there are no hard rules as to what should be placed where. I find that I don't like any absorption or diffusion behind the speakers but I do like it between the speakers. However, if your speakers are close to a wall, you might want some diffusion behind them as otherwise, the reflected waves would be too near in time to the initial waves.
If indeed your speakers are near the forward wall, try moving them out a couple feet.