Efficient speakers -- What was your journey from A to B to ?

DIY is a really great route for this, as you can get really high quality drivers vs manufacturer made speaker systems. Most high efficiency solutions will use a full range driver and a bi-amp solution for the bass drivers. DSPing the bass drivers with a high quality DSP is almost always better than relying on an internal or external analog crossover because it also addresses issues in your room.

I’ve tried a number of high efficiency speakers, and my personal favorites were custom Oris 200 horns with AER BD3 drivers. AER drivers are not cheap, but they are outright fantastic. Incredibly sensitive, typically over 100dB, and no sizzle or fatigue like Lowthers.

Another option, also quite pricey, are Voxativ field coil drivers. I have a friend who uses those with custom bass cabs, and they are unparalleled in terms of presence and as fatigue free as AER.

I know you mentioned that you won’t spend tens of thousands, and that likely puts the Voxativ out of your budget, but you may come across a nice pair of vintage AER for a great price. 

@hilde45 Not to trash on Devore, but I agree. I’ve had a few of John’s speakers on my floor, and they are too overpriced for their performance IMHO. The outside cabinets are attractive, but the innards leave much to be desired. They are not bad sounding, but there are many better alternatives in the market, many which are already mentioned on this thread.