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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
balooo2
100 posts
 

@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
1,374 posts
 

@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.

 

jdavis234 OP
13 posts
 

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.
jl35
3,981 posts
 

For me, Andrew Jones new $3700 and $3000 speakers are way better than his or the OP’s $1000 speaker...and Salk definitely over the Fritz, though I think Salk is retired from making new speakers...I currently have Salk Monitors and the floor standing Carina, both of which are great in a small room...so many great speakers now in these price ranges

soix
9,456 posts
 

For me, Andrew Jones new $3700 and $3000 speakers are way better than his or the OP’s $1000 speaker...and Salk definitely over the Fritz

@jl35 I hold both speakers in high regard, but that’s a pretty definitive statement. Have you compared Salk and Fritz speakers directly?

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