Without glomming onto the word "best" in your subject line, the body of your post described your experience and goal quite clearly and reminiscent of my experience.
If your like me I’m guessing you may have ridden the audio merry-go-round for a time.
Faced with the reality that a thirty minute listen of the multiple products at an audio show or in stores is nothing like that first dissatisfied listen at home as the fear of the possibility system synergy could add to the cost of your resent purchase and still not reach the goal you’ve heard, just not at home.
Like you I made a not so lateral change to an unaffordable new speaker at the time which was suggested by someone I later learned is an industry professional. Years past until I could afford his suggestion used and bingo. That was thirteen years ago.
All the BEST in your search.
M