Thanks everyone for the recommendations so far. I'm a little hesitant with the LS3/5a just cause of the less than neutral signature but I haven't tried them so I can't say for certain that wouldn't be for me.
The ARA are actually DIY speakers which are supposed to compete with higher priced speakers but without testing those higher priced speakers, I don't know for sure where it lands. That's kind of the reason I'm looking toward something in the $5k-10k (10k is really pushing it) so that I can get a discernable upgrade from what I have now. Comparing the ARA with the BMR Philharmonitors was pretty interesting. I think the BMRs definitely present music differently but technicals are around the same level. From what I've read BMRs also punch above their price point.
Anyways, @soix the Pulsars were definitely on my list before but from my friend's experience, the Qln seemed to be better off the same system when he heard them at CAF. Whether or not that will be true in my system, I'm not sure but one thing that drew me to the Qln is that people who have heard it felt that vocals sounded extremely natural. The biggest thing I don't like about them is the looks. I don't find them particularly attractive.
I've actually been shopping for preamps before looking at possible speaker upgrades. Depending on what deals I find, one might have to be delayed until a later date. The Bel Canto has been a very good stop gap so far.