The Horror

@audiodidact here is good part: you can get sound that you love (a lot more) by trying different speakers and amps and preamps and sources in your current budget. Members here will lend you gear and you can order it to try out and then buy it used. Of course you know it, you have been doing this for long.

I have bought a lot of cheap stuff on shopgoodwiill, had generous loaners or gifts from members here, and made amazing improvements on a small budget.

I go to shows mainly to hear what is supposed to be the best hifi sound. I always find a couple setups that I determine sound best to me. Yes Fritz and Vandersteen seem to always rank high.

Then I go home to assess what I have versus what I heard. I do a lot of homework and try to make well informed decisions. Experience, reviews, value, specs and measurements all come into play to help make a good buying decision.

Nice thing is I have not felt need to make a change as a result of show sound for several years.

Cost is not the driving factor. I get that sound at home for much less cost than most hi end show systems by doing the homework and learning along the way.

After all, it’s a system and systems must be integrated properly in order to perform best. The room is probably the most important part of the system to get a handle on because that might be tweaked but can’t be changed. That determines your speaker options and you go from there to get the max out of the speakers.  

My goal recently has been to retain that sound while downsizing. I do a lot of homework to try and identify the technical innovations that might help and learn a lot along the way. The latest and greatest Class D amp technology has perhaps Been the biggest game changer, followed closely by wise application of DSP for room correction and other sound tweaks as needed.

Just my few cents….

suggesting KEFs is like telling someone to go to Cabo, because... well, you just came back from Baja? Not very profound in my opinion, with the understanding of a 1000 incredible speaker choices 

Your system sounded great before you heard better. It hasn’t changed. There’s always something better out there, a better car, house, stereo. This does not in any way prevent you from appreciating what you DO have. 

This smells even more like a troll cave which upsets me mostly because too many a'goners will try to help out of genuine concern for the OP's post not realizing they are being kited around.

The OP has essentially tied the problem and solution together:  He didn't spend enough money.

Had the OP described his problem around music and it's reproduction there  would be many useful and affordable suggestions possible, but so long as he adheres to framing the question in terms of money spent then there is only one more solution: Spend more money. 

I'll leave you all here to enjoy the ... um, scenery of the OP's mindscape as much as you want.