Thinking of Upgrading Speakers

Speakers are absolutely the place to start when upgrading. Your transducers are the key to your overall sound. You don't say what cartridge you have, and that will make a difference about how things sound. If you like the Sonus Faber sound in the store and the dealer has a no-hassle return policy if you don't like them after you get them home, those would be a good place to start.

IMHO, always start with the speakers you like and build around them...

-RW-

There's a lot of ways to go about this, but RW's advice above makes the most sense for someone in your position. The only thing I would add is that it sounds like you may be rushing into things. You will definately get lots of recommendations for speakers, but remember that you are the one that has to like them, not us. If you want to make the right choice, it would be good to listen to as much equipment as you can. Your current system is pretty solid. Use it as a baseline for comparison. Sometimes it takes a little while to gain some listening skills in order for you to move forward. If you are not sure about something, just hold off. The best thing to do is keep listening to music and not get frustrated. Do that and everything will just seem to work itself out with regards to your system.