Started with $1k speakers … what now?

I suppose my real concern is if going from $1k to $3-$5k is a reasonable step up for someone with not a lot of experience in the hobby.

Absolutely!  That’s a very big step up in potential sound quality as you’re still far from the point of diminishing marginal returns.  Big question — are you looking for new or used?  Also, what are you using for a music source — what streamer, turntable, DAC, transport, CD player?  Last, and most important, what improvements would you like to achieve (what would you like to be better) and what sound characteristics are most important to you?  I can’t stress enough how important this last piece of info is.  Thanks for all the good info BTW — very helpful.

Soix, thanks for asking, streamer is ifi Zen with the linear power supply, I'm using a Schiit Bifrost 2/64 right now for a DAC.My turntable is a Denon DP-47F with a Hana EL mc cart.

New is good, used is better.

As far as improvements, it's a great question because for me its something I don't really know until I hear it, which is why I went to demo a few things out of curiousity. It was good to hear a much more expensive DeVore also and I did realize that my ear just isn't there yet to appreciate those things, yet. What I liked about the Moon Voice 22 was that in addition to energy in the low end it handled complexity well and had a good sense of scale and width, a reason why I was interested in Ohm speakers as well that could cater to more than one person (haven't heard them, though). While I mostly listen to jazz, vocals, and solo classical, I like plenty of indie rock and alternative. With everything I listened to, I didn't get the impression it was that much better and was almost disappointed until I went back and listened to the same things on my current system.

Forget upgrading for now...

Learn acoustics basic...

Learn about mechanical and electrical working controls of the system /room...

Then instead of being a buyer you will learn how to do thing right...

Taste matter way less than acoustics...😊

Only marketers dude plays with your tastes ...There is no tastes in acoustics done right...

For sure buying is more easy than learning by experiments and studying... But trust me it is more fun... And less costly to think before buying...

Try to put what you already have at his optimal level... You may be surprized by the difference between before and after...

These Joseph Audio Pulsars will propel you to another level entirely on every level. I’m recommending them for multiple reasons, the biggest being their overall sound quality, but there’s more. Because you’re struggling coming up with specifics the Pulsars are speakers that shoot straight down the fairway and do everything very well. Read the reviews and you’ll see they play much bigger than they are in both scale and bass capabilities, and their imaging and 3D soundstage are superb and among the best out there (largely due to their unique and patented infinite slope crossover IMHO). JA speakers also pull off a great disappearing act and they look really good doing it, and at their $3800 asking price here they are fairly priced and well within your budget. They also offer wide dispersion characteristics so you can be outside the sweet spot and still get good sound, which sounded like it was something you were looking for.  Last, these appear to be in the gorgeous Sapele wood finish, which IMHO is the most attractive they offer. I have no doubt these will blow you away, and even if for some reason they don’t work out you can sell them for little/no loss, which is nice. Just do it — you’ll be glad you did.

https://www.usaudiomart.com/details/650050984-joseph-audio-pulsar/

There are big names with a lot of buzz and then some others who offer very high value. These folks sell direct, have a lot of experience, and don’t advertise much. Two examples: Fritz and Ascend. In my view, spending 2-3K with these folks is like spending double or triple with other makers who have a lot of overhead, marketing, etc.

That said, everyone has their favorites and their tastes. What I think is hard to dispute is that the more $$s that go to the speakers’ parts and design, the better. Glossy ads and lots of overhead just divert your money to aspect which won’t pay off in your actual listening.