Speaker Upgrade Recommendation for Current Analog System - under $10,000 Budget

I absolutely love my Legacy Focus SE’s.  They are truly wonderful speakers in every way.  

MICRO EVOLUTION ONE

I use 35 watt tube amp on my Legacy Signature IIIs (bought used-a steal) and an EAR 890 on Legacy Focuses (also bought huge and a steal).  Signature IIIs bass is quicker and punchier (3-10" woofers versus Focus 3-12" woofers) and almost as deep (dependent on room size).  

I don’t know what music people are listening to with Golden Ear speakers or what equipment they’re matching them with, but they are hardly home theater speakers nor are they at all colored, at least with with my equipment (previously listed.)
I listen to mostly classical music which is hard to accurately reproduce, and the results are clean and flawless, with excellent sound staging.
Maybe the problem people have lies with a system dependent situation.

Being a reader of such forums, we all run into the Klipsch fan boy. However, I asked myself why? "Why do these people exist?" Loyal, passionate, convinced....so, 5 years ago I bought a new pair of LaScalas. Let me cut to the chase. I think I can now explain why both rabid critics poopoo AND diehard fans exist despite reviews. These 175 lb industrial machines require extreme break in time. HINT: Either run them like you're at a 70's Grand Funk Railroad concert for several hours/days/ months.....  OR...confront these stiff horns by making them play the Tellurium Q Systems Disk. (No I'm not selling them) This is like sending your speakers to boot camp.  (This CD produces music/sounds "exercises" to stretch them into what they're capable of.) Reviewers often listen to new speakers while devotees have had their Klipschs for decades. Way too often new speakers sound great immediately after purchase only later to seem to be trying to dig out your ear channel with a cork screw. Klipsch LaScalas reverse this. They start off fair....but then you'll notice they get better and better until a transparent window opens and the musical light floods over, through, and into you. Worth every penny....(I paid $5500 for B-stock Lacalas II) (No monster amp needed: 104 db at 1 watt. Tubes recommended)

Fan boys do not actually exist. What does exist is snobs. So when someone finds something real good and shares this experience, the snob "knows" it can't be as good as his Wilson, Magico, Mark Levinson, (fill in your favorite astronomically overpriced hyped whatever) and so, not having any substantive counter they deride the enthusiastic reviewer as a "fanboy". 

Happens all the time. Notice you never, ever see anyone complimenting their Wilson monstrosity being called a fanboy. It simply is not done! Fanboy is reserved for keeping us working stiffs in our place. Watch. Now that you're aware how it works, just watch.  

Tekton owns the under $10k market. Absolutely owns it! Any of four models, all very easy to drive, all crush the competition to varying degrees.

Really only one thing going against them, a total lack of snob appeal.

"Notice you never, ever see anyone complimenting their Wilson monstrosity being called a fanboy."

Interesting observation. Come to think of it, I have never read a Wilson enthusiastically complimented by the owner with the hyperbolae that seem reserved for lesser bunch.

It simply is not done!

I have read a number of them about Magico, though.

"Wilson monstrosity"

Looking at the picture of Wilson Duette 2 and Tekton Moab, one can only notice that love is blind.

(Wilson is about 50cm tall, Moab is 175cm)

I hesitated to jump in as you've received many great suggestions.

Tektons https://tektondesign.com/products/loudspeakers/flagship/ are interesting and you'll find some good YouTube reviews. I was sorely tempted to purchase the "Double Impact". At less than $3,200 delivered and satisfied reviews aplenty, worth a look. 

I opted for the Revel F228Be (at $5,500) and loved them but they lacked (what I call "information"). At higher listening levels, they are great and the front bass port makes placement very easy. After about a year of owning the Revel F228Bes I upgraded to the F328Be and wow, what a game changer. With three 8" aluminum cone woofers and 2 ports on the back, the placement / versatility is fun and slight movement / measurement adjustments tune the room well. The bass is clean, crisp in response, and in sum zero regrets. They retail $16K but I found a dealer (I've purchased a lot of equip from this dealer) who discounted them to just under $10K. Love them and they are the "last" speakers I'll own (maybe :-) as I too am enjoying semi-retirement. 
https://www.revelspeakers.com/products/series/series-performabe/F328+BE.html?dwvar_F328%20BE_color=S... 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DL-PSh-He8&t=331s

Additionally, had a set of custom length cables made from BlueJean and they are very good without breaking the bank. I A-B tested them with homemade 12 gauge wires, $4000 AudioQuest's and the Blue Jean do a fantastic job. Measurements galore (I'll spare you), the tiny difference between AQ and BlueJean was not worth it to me. https://www.bluejeanscable.com/store/speaker/index.htm

Best of luck!

Here's where I am. Taking MOFOJO's recommendation and considering purchase of a Bob Carver Crimson 275 amp and VTP-10 Octave LP-1R pre. Speaker tpo choices - LSA 20 Statement (bang for the buck by most reviews), Nola Contender S3 (initial first choice, easy to posiiton) and Legacy Signature SE (excellant ratings, not fussy to position). 
  Which of the three will provide detailed bass response, incredible dynamics, smooth detailed treble, neutral midrange, good imaging & soundstaging and be true to the source material?
  I've got approx. 1500 LP's - jazz, 70-80's R&B, Blues. sizable no. of CD's and 1Mii B06 wireless Audio adapter for bluetooth sources.   

Ellington hifi has 2 used Octave int.amps  for sale for half price. Very good sounding and balls for days for a tube integrated. Take a look at their website. They pair very good with Dynaudio and you could find some really nice Dyns used for the other 5-6 k. 
 This would open up speaker options quite a bit for now and down the road. 
Obviously just suggestions to look into. Lots of others. 

10 grand budget  and Tekton is suggested lol.....get real...maybe if we were talking budget for a garage or a second bedroom system

Wow dude. I dont get your disdain for Tekton at all? I owned them in the past and thought they were awesome and would own again. Just bought a parasound amp off a guy who has the DI and loves them and upgraded around them. They are several months out for a build to get some! Obviosly its all BS and everyone who is buying them is a complete idiot..... right?  Seriously, why would you go out of your way to hurt a talented entrepreneur's business? 

Spatial Audio M3 Sapphires or X3s would be at the top of my list. Their predecessors could wipe the floor with many of the aforementioned speakers. 

I was in your place for the last couple years. I had a set of Revel F52s that I wanted to upgrade from. I also want my next set of speakers to be my final pair unless I hit the lottery.

I looked at a lot of the speakers that have been mentioned here and ended up with a pair of Tekton Encores.

The cost to wow ratio is outstanding.

I was going to buy new and get the color I want. You can get them in any paint color from the likes of Behr, Sherwin Williams, etc. or specialty paint jobs. But I was lucky enough to locally pick up a used set.

Best money on Audio I have spent so far.

The other speakers mentioned in this forum are all good but the Encores are the best deal of them all.

You won't be disappointed.

But, if you can try and get to hear them for yourself. Take into consideration the rig you hear any speaker on that is not your own or in your listening environment.

The Encores sounded good on the rig of the owner I bought them from, but they really sound great on my own rig and in my listening environment.

I'm trying to decide what to do with the thousands of dollars I saved.

Happy listening

Legacy
Vandersteen
Nola

But not Golden Ear - they do not possess the clarity, dynamics or resolution of these three.

Volti Audio Rival if you can go without a custom veneer and can live with the Baltic birch plywood stained or varnished.  

I live in Harford County Maryland. I have a set of Nola KO2’s if you would like to hear them. I would sell them also....I like trying new speakers. There are pictures of my setup in my system page.

Anyone know what material the LSA Statement 20 cabinets are made of, MDF? Seems I saw an article suggesting it was pressed particle board not MDF. That would bring into question its durability long term. Also indicated painted exterior and coats of lacquers vs lacquered veneer? 
Lost were I saw the discussion. If these things are true my take on the speakers a gem would be re-evaluated.
Thanks.             

I’m currently enjoying the personas, but it’s nice to be able to get several of the big names at home to at least understand what the fuss is all about. 

Legacy
Vandersteen
Nola

But not Golden Ear - they do not possess the clarity, dynamics or resolution of these three. Legacy

..............Those are 3 great speakers listed, but my experience with Goldenear Ones is at odds with your assessment. With intelligent matching all the larger GE range possess ample ability to display those points of clarity, dynamics and resolution - they are definitely NOT ' just home theater' speakers as some suggest.
Over 50+ years I have owned: AR15s, AR9s, NHT 3.3, Infinity Kappas, Maggies from small to large, JBLs and Vandersteen 5As - all carefully matched with synergistic components. Age, frailty and smaller rooms led me to trim it all down to simpler things - 2 speakers and one 'box'. The GEs are a good buy.

I have had speakers that are exceptional when sitting in the sweet spot, but the current ‘market spin’ would have us all buy wide dispersion speakers for even room response. I listen at night to wind down and the 3D soundstage is more important to me than tonal balance from every seat in the room. You need to prioritize. 

@steve59 “current ‘market spin’ would have us all buy wide dispersion speakers”

Some of us prefer the sound of “non-box” speakers eg omnis (eg ohm), dipoles (eg Maggie’s), or open baffle which are not the same (I thought) as box speakers.   I recently bought LSA bookshelf speakers and discovered they have something of the same qualities, I guess because they are wide dispersion.  Where have you seen spin/PR about wide dispersion speakers?

i for one like being in the sweet spot

that is where the magic happens and one is teleported to the desired land!

Hi berner99, I’m seeing lots of the harman curve, dr toole speak on many hifi forums lately and while my musical tastes have me going other directions there is a huge push for the waveguide/ wide dispersion being preffered 

Interesting, thanks.

It's like rolling the dice. Most of the time speakers are what they are, but there's that one spot in the room that elusive spot where the bass grips you and when the bass comes rolling in like waves like waves on the beach every else just falls into place.

Up to 10K. 
   A shipload of great speakers to choose from. I would not know where to start. 
Those new Polk audio flagships are nice!
sonus Faber speakers are great. The rockfords maybe over tour budget. 
 Also, there are a bunch which are way less and perform as good if not better than dropping 8-9, even 10K on speakers. 
  Those Triton towers are amazing.   SVS flagship towers are nice. 
  Martin Logan motion 60xti’s

  nice pair of electccrostats with a sub. 
  Dynaudio make some of the best speakers. 
  So many choices would drive me nuts. 
   Happy listening and hit as many high end shops you can for auditions, and conversation about the speaker compan. 
    If you think you’ve made a decision, call the company, ask them about warranty, how their warranty works, etc. search for the customer service of the company, the way they treat their customers. 
    Up to 10K is a huge decision, do the research .....


   enjoy the music!
\,,/
  

There are so many great choices under 10k.  Nothing snobbish about it and there is no one company that owns any market.  We all heard differently adn like different gear.  I'm a Vandersteen fan as that's what I've now owned for a bunch of years now.  There are others I could live with, but I have always been drawn to a legit time and phase correct speaker.  I loved the older Meadowlarks in the 90's and I liked Thiel, but they were. a bit on the 'hot' side for me.   

Just subjective and it's not snobbish for folks to fall in love with whatever they can afford.  I'm happy for them as I do have a budget and can't afford what I would truly love to own, but what I own I do love and listen to daily.  It's all good.  

IF,, and thatsa  BIG IF, I had $10K, (which i never will have :--(((
, a  Field Coil Full Range, no doubt about it. 

Your budget is certainly enough for some excellent options. 
I’d look at Sonus Fabre (I have the Olympics Nova V and have owned others)

Davore Fidelity Super9s are another impressive speaker I considered. 
Listen to as many as you can and try to get a home trial. 
Enjoy the journey. 

Emerald Physics Open Baffle should be a match made in heaven. I have 3.4s with upgraded passive XOs. The driver is 12" with 1" concentric polyester tweeter. It’s ~ 99dB efficient which should make your 40 wpc amp very happy. If you need more bass, consider the 2 series+ which come with either one or two 15" carbon fiber woofers per cabinet. If you go this route and they have the OEM  jumpers, I upgraded to Wire World OOC: the improvement was not subtle


They are no longer in production. I have seen people selling them for ~ 20% of MSRP


hth

So has OP decided on their speakers or is this year a post to get everyone to post about their own speakers, lol.  Some really good posts in this thread. 

$10k did you say??
Heck I only need $2k and i'll be in audiophile heaven. 
= $10k might get you less than my $2k speaker, In fact it most likely will, Spend more = get less
 is my mantra.