Moving to separates

I went from a top of the line Denon AVR putting out 125 WPC at 8 ohms to Rotel separates.  My Rotel RB1582 MKII amp puts out 200 WPC into 8 ohms and 350 into 4 ohms.  The bigger Rotel amp was too big for my shelf setup.  I noticed better bass control and more headroom with my Arendal 1723 towers that run at 4 ohms.  Plus the separates look cool which matters to me.  I now have all separate components in my main music only system.  Makes it easier to tweak and upgrade components over time.  A great part of the hobby in my experience.  

Moving away from Audio/Video receivers was one of, if not THE biggest improvements in sound quality for me. Specifically, I went from a Sony AVR, then an Integra AVR at 90 or 100 wpc (forgot the model number) to an NAD 316BEE integrated amplifier at 40 wpc.  I probably could have been quite happy with that integrated, had I stopped reading the audio forums and reviews and the for-sale ads.

Almost all AVR's lie about RMS power. They show 100w, but that is 2ch mode, in all ch mode, they put out 60w or less. If you have ever opened up an AVR compared to a 2ch integrated, it's amazing how much stuff is packed into the AVR.

Yes, dollar for dollar you should notice an upgrade with separates. The big downfall of separates are all the cords. With an HT setup, you are talking about a dozen RCA cables, a dozen speaker cables, then all the power cables. 

Have an TOTL Marantz AVR running 9.4.2, it's amazing for what it is, if the music is Atmos encoded it's cool, but my 2ch (separates) sounds so much better. 

@bassbuyer Thank you, you are in almost my exact situation.  I also have Arendal 1723's.  That is helpful.

@skeptikal -  There has been a lot of good suggestions and info supplied already.  I I looked at the pictures you took of the room as well.  Looks good, nice acoustic treatments as well.  (Although the two small sofas directly in front of the speakers are probably not helping things.)   After being in this hobby for 40+ years, the best suggestion I can make to you right now is to borrow a decent stereo power amp (for the front L/R speakers) and set of decent interconnect cables and give it a try.  While upgrading to a better preamp, streamer, etc. should (and I stress should) be an approvement over the AVR, don't worry about them yet.  Start with the 2 channel amp. You might like it, you might not.  Either way, it may give you a better idea of what direction to go.

In the end, it is all about what you like and makes you happy.

... my 2 cents...  

Jeff