High end sound

You’re getting the usual go-to solutions - buy more expensive cables, upgrade your gear, yada yada yada.

The truth is, speaker placement and room treatments have far more impact and are more important to sq than upgrading cables or gear. 

Get that sorted first, and it’ll take some effort, before reaching for your purse to buy more gear. 

What type of room treatment do you have?  If you're hearing the same sound multiple times due to reflections that's a problem.  Watched a Darko video a few days ago and he believes that room treatment is the most important thing in your system.  I tend to agree with him.  Until you get that right (which is very difficult) or at least better you're working against yourself with other changes.

by pure elimination it's the amp.

I agree, get the cheapest CD player hooked up, see how your system sounds. 

Speaker wires, sometimes if bare wire, I trim to get fresh copper terminations.

Cables, connectors, jacks, it won’t hurt to spritz contact surfaces with a Contact Cleaner with Lubricant, 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00006LVEU?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_3

https://www.amazon.com/CRC-Contact-Cleaner-Protectant-Aerosol/dp/B007I9Y200?ref_=pd_bap_d_grid_rp_hxwhrp_sspa_dk_bia_0_1_ec_i

I have that Sumiko Talisman S Cartridge, Van Den Hull Line Contact on Sapphire Tube, OEM Stylus, it sounds excellent, I suspect you need to have it looked at, perhaps get it to Steve Leung at VAS for evaluation.

https://vasnyinc.com/repair-service/

Your phono stage and preamp have many settings, are you certain they are correct?

Live near me at Plainfield, NJ 07062, you could bring/listen to your cartridge/phono/preamp here.

My room is 14 / 20 with an 8 foot ceiling. 

Thanks. As others are saying, it's about the way sound acts in those dimensions, too. Room treatments may be required -- even just a little bit -- but the dimensions by themselves don't tell that much.