Artch,
You are now at a critical phase of your upgrade journey. This is where you will make the most sweeping decisions as to which direction to go in, and it is also where your experience is the least (not to say that you're inexperienced, but as time goes on you will inevitably become more experienced). The more you can learn now, the better.
One of the most important things to know here is yourself. What do you really want your audio system to do, and what compromises are you willing to make (if necessary) to get there? Also the more you know about acoustics and psychoacoustics, the better off you will be. You'll start to see the tradeoffs involved in various speaker designs (and sonic tradeoffs are inevitable everywhere in audio except in the marketing department).
May I suggest a book: "Premium Home Theater - Design and Construction", by Earl Geddes. Don't be put off by the name. The chapters on psychoacoustics, sound reproduction, and small room acoustics are superb. The author (and his wife who wrote the chapter on psychoacoustics) are among the leading researchers in audio today, and have published numerous papers and an advanced text on loudspeakers. Earl is among the world's foremost experts on small room acoustics. Here's a link:
http://www.gedlee.com/Home_theatre.htm
I echo Reubent's suggestion of easy-to-drive speakers if possible, as you may want to try tube amps. Tubes have a more ear-friendly distortion characteristic than solid state typically does. One of the things you'll learn (if you haven't already) is that industry-standard measurements don't always correlate well with subjective perception.
Take your room situation into account, too. You don't need speakers that will fill an auditorium - you need speakers that will sound good from fairly close up at fairly low power levels. Some do and some don't. Reubent's suggestion of single-drivers speakers makes sense to me, though they do have their limitations. But their limitations are less likely to be an issue in your situation - and they do like tube amps!
Well there's a huge world of speakers out there in your price range, and then beyond that amplifiers, and then beyond that... The journey you're setting out on can and probably will be immensely enjoyable.
Best of luck to you,
Duke
You are now at a critical phase of your upgrade journey. This is where you will make the most sweeping decisions as to which direction to go in, and it is also where your experience is the least (not to say that you're inexperienced, but as time goes on you will inevitably become more experienced). The more you can learn now, the better.
One of the most important things to know here is yourself. What do you really want your audio system to do, and what compromises are you willing to make (if necessary) to get there? Also the more you know about acoustics and psychoacoustics, the better off you will be. You'll start to see the tradeoffs involved in various speaker designs (and sonic tradeoffs are inevitable everywhere in audio except in the marketing department).
May I suggest a book: "Premium Home Theater - Design and Construction", by Earl Geddes. Don't be put off by the name. The chapters on psychoacoustics, sound reproduction, and small room acoustics are superb. The author (and his wife who wrote the chapter on psychoacoustics) are among the leading researchers in audio today, and have published numerous papers and an advanced text on loudspeakers. Earl is among the world's foremost experts on small room acoustics. Here's a link:
http://www.gedlee.com/Home_theatre.htm
I echo Reubent's suggestion of easy-to-drive speakers if possible, as you may want to try tube amps. Tubes have a more ear-friendly distortion characteristic than solid state typically does. One of the things you'll learn (if you haven't already) is that industry-standard measurements don't always correlate well with subjective perception.
Take your room situation into account, too. You don't need speakers that will fill an auditorium - you need speakers that will sound good from fairly close up at fairly low power levels. Some do and some don't. Reubent's suggestion of single-drivers speakers makes sense to me, though they do have their limitations. But their limitations are less likely to be an issue in your situation - and they do like tube amps!
Well there's a huge world of speakers out there in your price range, and then beyond that amplifiers, and then beyond that... The journey you're setting out on can and probably will be immensely enjoyable.
Best of luck to you,
Duke