I had a similar experience and I traveled the country for a year looking for speakers. I visited dealers from NJ to LA and many in between. I live in Arizona. For your budget, I would recommend the West Coast. Sunny's Audio, Alma Hifi, and Scott Walker are three that you can probably hear 12 higher-end sound systems. Once you have the speakers it is easy to find an amp.
Best USA city to audition a system.
I one is willing and able to spend five (six?) figures on an audio system, an in person audition is obviously desirable. What US city has the strongest lineup of audio dealers that can provide a live audition? I’m guessing LA, Chicago, NY, but it is only a guess. I can tell you with certainty that it is not in Louisiana.