Before reading I pretty much assumed MC’s solution was going to be "sell all your gear and buy Raven and Tekton." That’s the answer to all things audio guys. I suppose incessant posting of the same recommendations for the same gear day after day is cheap marketing for someone.
Seeking advice what to upgrade
I am a newbie at this hobby and am respectfully seeking recommendations on what component in my system would be best to consider for a next upgrade. My humble and cobbled together system currently consists of:
10 Octave LP1 tube preamp – two gentlemen out of GA who used to do special effects electronics for movies
Carver M-1.0t mkII opt002 amp upgraded by Nelion Audio
Cambridge Audio Dacmagic Plus used as a DAC
SOtM SMS 200 Neo streamer w Sbooster power supply running Roon
Rega Planar 3 (vintage) with Blue Point MC cartridge and Schiit Mani pre – sounds as good as streaming to me
Klipsch Forte 1 w Crites crossover and tweeter upgrade
Blue Jean speaker cables – actually made a noticeable difference over Home Depot
Lots of room treatment which made a huge improvement in sound stage definition
Some previous components:
Ohm Walsh 3xo speakers – nice but blurred soundstage compared to the Forte’s
Jadis Orchestra Reference integrated – very nice, articulate, but weak base compared to current components
Overall, I am pretty happy with how it sounds – very nice sound stage and definition, plenty of bass for my ears, great for Jazz and vocals, and generally very clean. I probably stream more than play records as my LP collection is pretty limited at this point. That said, listening fatigue sets in after 30-45 minutes at higher volumes (which the wife likes) and my gut says the overall sound may be a bit bright though I don’t feel the Forte’s are shouty as some have described horn loaded speakers (but I don’t have years of trying different components to compare to).
I don’t have a huge budget, maybe 2-3K, which is problematic for this hobby, but you have to start somewhere.
Anyway, you all are the experts and have been down this road already. Looking for some navigation guidance on my next move. Thanks much.