Whether floorstanders will be an improvement is highly subjective as noted above. Even though I have a fairly large room, for my budget, I prefer standmount speakers with subs.
I found that MOST of the more affordable floorstanders (under $5K/pair) have compromises in the cabinet construction that cause audible resonance. This prevents them from achieving transparent imaging. Some exceptions can be found in small floorstanders, for example, the Spendor A7s. However, at that size and cost, you can get nice standmounts and two subs that might actually perform better in the bass. Of course, if you prefer a more streamlined solution, floorstanders have the advantage.
Generally, I find that small/medium monitors are better at disappearing as sources of sound, for any given budget. Their cabinets have less surface area that can be excited into audible ringing/resonance.
OTOH, large floorstanders (with large drivers) play music with greater scale. On average, they're also more sensitive, and therefore, can better produce dynamics at low volumes.
My preferred compromise between these two extremes are medium-sized standmount monitors with large midwoofers (8 or 10"). I also prefer the "lossy," damped cabinets that are designed to flex with the driver output, rather than mitigate resonance through heavy panels and bracing. The latter tend to produce cabinet resonances in the 500Hz - 1kHz range. The problem with that behavior (depending on the Q), is resonance in those frequencies sounds like ringing and grain to the human ear - it interferes with the frequencies where music tends to have greatest energy. Ultimately, it leads to listening fatigue, IME. Unfortunately, that is the chosen cabinet design for many floorstanders. The ones that are thick, heavy, and braced enough to practically do away with resonance are expensive.
In contrast, the "lossy" cabinet designs, pioneered by the BBC, tend to produce resonances around 250Hz or lower. The human ear associates this frequency range with the music's "body" and bass overtones. It does not impede on the most energetic areas of the midrange, which is why a $4K speaker with of this design principle can produce a midrange on-par with six-figure speakers.
Like most aspects of this hobby, there are compromises that must be weighed against the listener's preferences. I prefer to own 3 pairs of $4K standmounts that I can rotate through my systems to keep things interesting, rather than own one pair of $12K floorstanders that could potentially give me the best of both worlds with scale and imaging.
I found that MOST of the more affordable floorstanders (under $5K/pair) have compromises in the cabinet construction that cause audible resonance. This prevents them from achieving transparent imaging. Some exceptions can be found in small floorstanders, for example, the Spendor A7s. However, at that size and cost, you can get nice standmounts and two subs that might actually perform better in the bass. Of course, if you prefer a more streamlined solution, floorstanders have the advantage.
Generally, I find that small/medium monitors are better at disappearing as sources of sound, for any given budget. Their cabinets have less surface area that can be excited into audible ringing/resonance.
OTOH, large floorstanders (with large drivers) play music with greater scale. On average, they're also more sensitive, and therefore, can better produce dynamics at low volumes.
My preferred compromise between these two extremes are medium-sized standmount monitors with large midwoofers (8 or 10"). I also prefer the "lossy," damped cabinets that are designed to flex with the driver output, rather than mitigate resonance through heavy panels and bracing. The latter tend to produce cabinet resonances in the 500Hz - 1kHz range. The problem with that behavior (depending on the Q), is resonance in those frequencies sounds like ringing and grain to the human ear - it interferes with the frequencies where music tends to have greatest energy. Ultimately, it leads to listening fatigue, IME. Unfortunately, that is the chosen cabinet design for many floorstanders. The ones that are thick, heavy, and braced enough to practically do away with resonance are expensive.
In contrast, the "lossy" cabinet designs, pioneered by the BBC, tend to produce resonances around 250Hz or lower. The human ear associates this frequency range with the music's "body" and bass overtones. It does not impede on the most energetic areas of the midrange, which is why a $4K speaker with of this design principle can produce a midrange on-par with six-figure speakers.
Like most aspects of this hobby, there are compromises that must be weighed against the listener's preferences. I prefer to own 3 pairs of $4K standmounts that I can rotate through my systems to keep things interesting, rather than own one pair of $12K floorstanders that could potentially give me the best of both worlds with scale and imaging.