Potential upgrade path…

Backdoor, there is a lot of great information here. In looking at the pictures, am I correct that the floor is tile or treated concrete? If that is the case, I'd do the following.

(1) Get a nice thick wool area rug that fits the space, and get a 1/2" acoustic carpet pad; easy to find with a Google search. This should get spousal approval, as you can let her pick out the rug. Cost $1,500 or so?

(2) Acoustic panels would be a great addition, but not the standard ugly panels. GIK Acoustics have great acoustic panels and bass traps that actually look good. Cost $1,000 or less

(3) Consider the smaller speaker recommendations, as your electronics seem perfectly fine. I replaced my amazing Thiel CS3.6 large floor standers with a pair of Buchardt Audio S400 MKII standmounts, and a system that worked for them. The system is much more fitting for the space, and sounds incredible. For the remaining $33,000 you'd have your choice of incredible stand mounts: Fleetwood Deville, TAD, Fyne Audio F1.8, Magico A1, blah blah blah

Let us know how it goes, best of luck to you

backdoor, you wrote "Vthokie the room is actually carpeted. Pretty plush carpet actually. Knowing that and also that this room is really not that small (18x24) would you change your recommendation in any way?"

(1) Since your listening room is not going to change, you should treat the room first.....it will without a doubt help any and all changes that you do or do not make. I am by no means an expert in this area (I have no professional experience), I spent 3 months researching the subject prior to making any changes....and tried a few different rugs before settling on the below

(2) I was a late adopter in "room treatment", I actually ignored it while building my system. I saw countless posts about "treating your room", and finally decided to give it a go. I have to admit I should have done the room treatment much earlier in my process, and it was EASILY the equivalent of upgrading one or two components.

(3) Well it's at least worth looking at what kind of carpet you have, and if you have a pad that is acoustically absorbent. The best carpet package is: made of thick wool at least 1/2" pile, has an "open" cotton/wool backing (no polyester sealant or fibers, and a 1/2" pad that is acoustically absorbant. That combo is not cheap, in a room your size it might be $4,000 or $5,000 installed.

If your current carpet is polyester, nylon, or olefin with a similar sealed backing (which most carpet installed in homes is) you can expect an absorption level of 25% to 30%. A nice 1/2" thick wool carpet with open backing and an absorbant pad should produce 50% to 70% reduction.

(4) I have tested your Aurender and Holo Audio May KTE DAC in my room and system, and IMO they are not limiting factors for your system. The other equipment I have no experience with.

(5) I still believe you should be able to test drive some great speakers to see how they pair with your room (after you treat it), I do think an amazing pair of stand mounts would be worth an audition, and might be more flexible