Where to go from here?

Thank you for the great replies. I need to keep the amp and denon for ht purpose. I plan on a digital only system so that is why i was looking at weiss and tambaqui. They both stream and have volume control. Im sure a seperate preamp is better than a dac volume but by how much when im looking at these higher cost dacs. I lose a lot of the value that a preamp offers if Im not concerned with analog. Is that right? I hear great systems at audio shows but its hard to tell if its the  DAC, amp or preamp that Is credited with what I am liking the most.

I'd suggest you look into what equipment you can use in your own home on a trial or loaner basis.  That will probably give you the clearest idea of which approach gives you the biggest improvement. 

How good is my monolith amplifier? Audioholics raved about it but stereophile shot it down saying it was dark sounding. I didnt design or manufacture it so my feelings will not be hurt if you feel its not that great. I know audioholics use denom av receivers to listen to music but im skeptical that mid priced av's ideal for 2 channel. I know first hand my speakers sounded far better plugged into the new $10-12k storm prepro at a demo. It was clear how much unrealized performance potential my have. speakers have

@davekuyt11 

McIntosh MA 12000, use the internal DAC fed by a Lumin U2 Mini. This setup will keep you happy for many years. Save up and then go nuts on a reference DAC.