I started out my audio journey buying a pair of B&W 602's for $600 and thought that was it. Later on (years) I was shopping around to upgrade figuring to spend about $2500 tops and didn't really hear anything that wowed me in that price range until I heard a pair of used Dunlavy SCIII's ($4K new!) and in the first 30 seconds or so decided these were the ones. 18 or so years later, I decided to buy a pair of used M3's without hearing them, figuring I could resell them and keep the Dunlavy's. I sold the SCIII's.
The Dunlavy's could disappear and provide good imaging with accurate sound reproduction--for a box speaker. The M3's do the same, but sound more live, like when you hear an guitar amp live--the air is charged differently that is more akin to a LIVE sound. However, over time I was missing some inner detail (microdynamics?) that the Dunlavy's had that were not as evident with the M3's, so I did some research and decided to upgrade some crossover parts (using Jupiter caps and path audio resistor) This made a huge difference (to my ears) and now I am not concerned with inner detail, as the music flows. This transformation DID cause me to upgrade peripherals, such as DIY magnets and IsoAcoustic's under everything.
Because of the open baffle sound, I was also expecting to not need my DIY Shakti Hallowgraphs. I was wrong, and I use them to fine tune the sound stage, and this fine tuning is dependent on the recording. For instance, some string quartet recordings sound diffuse and I adjust the Hallographs toed in or out accordingly. Or, some quartets sound closed in and need a bit more openness. This is true for every recording IMO as there seems to be a setting with the Hallowgraphs that best defines (my) listening taste.
Hope this helps.