If you are serious about wanting moving up to the REAL big league of sound quality...
I want to move up to the big league now or in the very near future.
DIY: Stop! Are you handy with wood working? Do you have a garage or workshop you can do wood work in and be willing to do woodwork if you don't already?
If so, you can use that money and put it towards parts and build a speaker from highly regarded plans and end up with a superior performing product for the money.
If you are not interested in this route, I fully understand. In fact, the USED option I present below is going to give you a speaker with qualities beyond what is possible from DIY speaker plans that are published free on the internet of which I am aware.
USED: There is another option, however, to get much better performance for your dollar: go used.
If you stick it out, you can find a B&W 801 Matrix Series II or Series III for about $2000-$3000/pair plus shipping. This is no average performer. It is comparable to the best of the best monopoles today, even, in terms of over-all amplitude linearity and resonance control(critical to accurate/realistic timbre of instruments and voices). Assuming inflation, etc.; it was well over 10k/pair value when new. It is from the late 80's, however, but was so well engineered even then, that it remains highly competitive with today's best monopole speakers. This will far outperform the units you have listed for new.
Note: for the ultimate sound quality, you need to add a high quality DSP equalizer/controller like the Behringer DCX2496. Because of this speaker's extraordinary neutral characteristics, it is suited to being manipulated with a precision DSP controller which allows you to obtain virtually ANY sound signature you could desire! Few speakers are neutral to such an extent as to make this a possibility, but here, you have it! In addition, the DCX2496 is an extremely powerful crossover system and bass control DSP. You could add, say, a powerful subwoofer like the SVS PB13 Ultra to get extreme low distortion output to under 20Hz and use the DCX to cross around 40 Hz with a steep crossover, limiting energy to the mains to over 40Hz and to the subwoofer under 40Hz. Due to the DCX's unusually powerful/unlimited abilities, it ensures your ability to get a perfect/seamless integration and have the ability adjust the sound signature of your bass! That is right, with the extreme power of the DCX, not only can you change the very signature of the mains, but also of the subwoofers. You can make that powerful ported sub sound like a critically damped sealed woofer if you so desired. The controller is THAT powerful.
-Chris
