What would you want from a speaker upgrade?

If I had speakers that I really liked, I would consider adding super tweeters.

I recently auditioned the omni-directional ones made by German firm Elac and was amazed at the sound improvement they offer.

Ideally, any speaker would have user removable crossovers and clearly documented crossover frequencies, rolloffs, and delays for easy active operation.

But given how rare this is these days, it is wishful thinking. The few models that do allow this are either not to my liking (you have to at least like the speaker passive first - active won't change that) or not available in my country.

Failing that, I don't know how to answer the question other than to say "better than what I currently have and aesthetically livable". Nothing about my current speakers makes me feel like spending money on anything except music - which is good place to be and I've been here for a couple years.

Alley Cat posted:

Better bass, soundstage, cohesiveness, silent background, instrument timbre, more realistic vocals/clarity - same as with most upgrades I suppose.

Additionally a room friendly form factor and aesthetic quality would be nice but ultimately secondary considerations unless SWMBO is an impediment.

I brought my wife with me to the hi fi dealer today to take a look at speakers I'm considering.  She has zero tolerance for anything beyond a wooden rectangular solid for the most part. She vetoed the moon lander-ish feet on Audio Physics.

Speaker choice definitely is a partnership here.

(Showed her pics of Kudos; she approves.)

I've never understood how people get vetoed by SWMBO. I ask my wife what she likes but ultimately, it's my living room too and I buy what I damn well please. It's not like I'm a guest in "her" house. It's "our" house.

My better half has convinced me to change my mind before but that's not the same as "seeking approval from the decorating committee", as one friend puts it (who is only permitted to buy hifi that comes in champagne gold finish).

I seem to be the only person with any level of control here. 

It's always good to have a second pair of ears at a demo. I Always take my wife with me as it's her money and her living room as well as mine and perhaps more importantly she needs to hear it as well because fortunately for me, and one of the many reasons we married is we both share an interest in live music and theatre of all genres. Demos ultimately must make us remember a live performance, if it doesn't then we're not interested. Also she's not afraid to call a spade a spade and doesn't care who hears. She doesn't use words like 'that doesn't work' it'll be 'that sounds rubbish and it's not worth listening to'. So the demos must ultimately convince both of us when we upgrade. We're both well aware that as far as the looks of the electronics are concerned that's of secondary importance as it's all in the corner and out of the way. However you can always design your system to live in harmony with your room decor, many years ago before marriage when living with mum and dad we put up a curtain and rail to hide the amp's etc. As far as speakers are concerned there sometimes has to be a compromise between the ultimate best position and the practical layout of the living room unless you have a dedicated listening room. Some speakers are happy in reasonably close proximity to a wall such as PMC, others are less forgiving. Before a speaker demo you need to know where approximately yours are going to be placed, your budget and the maximum and minimum clearance you have so your dealer can taylor the demo. Bring your amp's with you to the demo. Then borrow the equipment for an extended listen at home. Don't forget to consider dealer recommendations regarding cables as that in addition to speakers could blow your budget. Above all enjoy the upgrading experience. Rich 

I've not heard them yet, but there seems to be quite some enthusiasm on here for the Kudos Titan 505. There's a thread running currently called "An afternoon at Cymbiosis...Titan 505". I have heard each of the other speakers in the Titan range and they have all delivered at their respective price point. They certainly look good for stand mounts. If you'd prefer floor mounts, the Titan 606 may be right, but I think they'd stretch the budget.