Started with $1k speakers … what now?


I got into this hobby during Covid, browsing YouTube reviews my first speakers were Polk L100s and Sonus Faber Lumina 1s. Not bad as an entry point, but wondering what would be the next level is where a speaker is built with fewer compromises in the drivers and crossover design.  My hope was that in the $5k range truer “hifi” entry points may be found in a small room system with a REL t5x. My source and amplification is already in the $5k range. 
 

I visited a hifi store recently but was overwhelmed by the amount of choice and unsure what would be an upgrade based on first listening impressions alone. 
 

Thanks in advance for any insights.

jdavis234

A lot of good advice here. My input would be to go very slow with your upgrade process. If you are or want to be serious about your HiFi and get the most for the least amount of money you should start with your room and isolation/decoupling of your components. Not as exciting as buying new speakers but probably more important. You can go down the rabbit hole of studying & learning how to make your own room acoustic pieces instead of spending big money on manufactured stuff. You can look into DSP if hanging things around the room isn't practical for you..but treating your room will get you the results you are looking for. 

I say go slow because it seems you haven't dialed into the exact sound you want or how to get there. You have quality gear already. I have not heard your Legend speakers but I've owned the Reserve R200 & R700.. actually still have a pair of the R700's. Contrary to the negative bias many have toward Polk their newer models are quite capable of good music when paired with quality components. I understand reasons for wanting to upgrade from them but they are good enough to keep using while you work on your room. 

When you are ready to try different speakers look at ones that will pair well with lots of other gear..because you will probably want to switch that up at some point as well. Speakers with a higher sensitivity and easy load for any amp. You never know, you may get interested in tubes or Class A at some point. Maybe look at used. Be patient for prices and brands that you could resell easily without taking a big financial loss. Good luck. 

Otherwise, you are not getting anywhere w.r.t to a very discernible improvement on a 5k budget.

@deep_333  , just to clarify (but not to start an argument) you are saying that if OP wants a significent sonic improvement over is current 1k speakers, he will have to spend more than 5k?

@hilde45 Do you still own the Salks 6M SS? How do they compare to the Fritz carbon 7 SE MKII?  I am now considering a pair of the Fritz's for myself.

@deep_333  , just to clarify (but not to start an argument) you are saying that if OP wants a significent sonic improvement over is current 1k speakers, he will have to spend more than 5k?

@immatthewj , Yes, as of 2023/ 2024, guys like Andrew Jones, Danny Ritchie, etc have offered such insanely great sound at around the 1k price bracket that it takes a whole lot more of an exponential increase in price to beat such things (obtain a significant enough jump). 15, 20 years ago...yeah you got something worthwhile at 5k if you had something going on at 1k.

 

Thanks everyone for such knowledgeable feedback, it’s extremely helpful. I feel a lot more confident now in the direction I should be headed and the things I should consider (or not) in this price range.

@immatthewj I see where deep is coming from in the sense that diy or used will provide more of an improvement than buying new. I’m not considering any diy projects, however. I have a couple very questionably soldered guitar pedals I’ve diy’d in the past.