Upgrading my system

Some good advice in the preceding post.   I would only add that Hegel H190 and Belles Aria (std version) sounded entirely different in my system (Lumin>amp>Harbeth).  The H190 was the darker sounding amplifier, as were the H80 and H90 that I also owned.  The Aria was the amp with more detail, depth, bass, and presence of musicians being in the room.  I can only imagine the Aria Signature model to be even better sounding.    

Sounds like you have some fun changes in front of you. When you put a system together each component and interconnects make a big difference in the sound you get. Changing more than one thing and/or not entirely sure of what you want can make the outcome very uncertain. If you increase the cost of most of your components significantly it is very likely to sound much better... but it is possible you could have enjoyed it even more if you had a destination in mind and carefully changed one component at a time to get there.

As far as direction. Listen to as many high end systems (that you cannot afford) to understand what kind of sound you like.

Since you are thinking of speakers, that is the logical place to start. Audition as many speakers as you can, remembering that what speakers sound like are strongly influenced by the electronics driving them. So, if you are in a store have them use the same electronics to feed the different speakers you listen to. That way at least for that audition you are listening to only differences between speakers. It takes years of experience to be able to sit down and figure out what are the characteristics you are hearing from each component in the signal chain... but with experience you can.

Then when you find some speakers that really appeal to you buy them. Stretch as far cost wise as you can... speakers get better within a brand the higher the cost, they last forever and but going cheap can limit the potential. Don’t think of changing anything else in your system for a long time... at least six months or more, save money then.

Get to know and appreciate your new speakers. It’ll take a couple hundred hours of use to just break them in. Work on positioning. Know their sound inside and out. Did this bring you closer to one of those high end systems you liked. Are all music types effected by your new speakers in the same way?

Then start thinking about replacing your integrated amp. Is your sound too analytical? Warm? Lack Details? Should you replace source or amp? Do lots of reading. Stereophile,The Absolute Sound, Robert Harleys book on High End Audio.

Do a process like above and the steps and end place will be an order of magnitude better sounding to you.

And I used lamp cord 

Peachtree integrated is a steal! - super customer service!
Rotel is also great!

however your room acoustics will be your most important item. 
I recall my first set up was two AR 3s, Dynaco pre and amp and a Scott

Tuner - the room by total accident was perfect and to date ,I have not been able to replicate that listening experience . 
have fun 

best part is conversing with others 

Have had Belles amp was great lots of power 

speakers -as bad as  as choosing coffee! Or tea

Short term sparkle may not be good for extended listening

dont laugh but a pair of Elac 2.0/6.2 standmounts with the correct power are just 

unreal! And that's from a geek who owned ESL57, Maggies, Tad, Boulder, McIntosh  , and even Dynaco!

these speakers like power- 6 ohms and87.0 dBSPL. Not efficient 

I had them with a Peachtree integrated pushing almost 250 watts at 4 ohms and no need for a subwoofer!!   In a 12'x14' room- clean sound

Andrew Jones design!

I'm done with hi price means better performance!

BTW try Blue Jeans Cable- great price super workmanship and they do sound great! They use canare ends!

If you are an anglophile you should check out Exposure gear!

https://fidelisav.com/products/integrated-amplifiers/3010-s2d-integrated-amp

wait for a pair of aluminum/ ceramic tweeter Treo... Johnny R will watch for ya...

+1 tomstruck

Check out Vandersteen New Model 2Ce sig III

Yes heard it there the other day, think I'm going to get it but now the speaker choice is overwhelming 

zpuckhead have you heard the new signature at Johns

Those are two excellent speaker choices to think about.

I never suggest less $ but am still deadly curious to hear the Golden Ear BRX stand-mounted speakers. Much cheaper but supposed to be rather nice; I've like some of their floor-standers.

@zpuckhead I just scanned a review of your Magnum integrated and it’s described as being voiced darkly which jibes with what you’re hearing, A new integrated is not a bad idea the Magnum is a nice budget integrated but it can certainly be bettered. One note you’re doing it no favor using Cardas cables, excellent cables but voiced fairly warmly that combo is as you’ve described too much warmth.

Thanks Tom, it's interesting John at Audioconnection has the Belles Sig paired with Vandy Treo in his front listening room and the pairing sounds fantastic. Just not up to dropping over $9K for speakers -- some day.....

You have to hear the new Belles Aria Signature even better and on speakers a friend of mine had Harbeth and switch to Vandersteen Treos

Enjoy the Music

Tom

I'm not familiar with the equipment you've mentioned, but I have owned a number of bookshelf speakers - Canton, Monitor Audio, and Vienna Acoustics to name a few.

I have the Harbeth P3ESR SE speakers in a room a little smaller than yours, in a nearfield setup (about 4 1/2 feet from my listening position).  They are detailed and have that luscious Harbeth midrange and dynamic, but easy to listen to even at that close distance if I decide to push the volume up.  They need some power and a subwoofer or 4, but they are hard to beat in that category.  I change out gear fairly often, but I don't see these going anywhere in the foreseeable future.

A friend had some in a well treated room closer to the size of yours where he was able to set them well out into the room with two subwoofers and they sounded amazing.  They have their limits in terms of bass and volume, so if you like to listen loud, go bigger.

Speakers are typically the thing that will change the sound of your system the most (for better or worse).  Good ones will reveal other shortcomings you may have in your system (amplification, sources).  If you want to stand pat with your system and make a meaningful change, I would start with room treatment before cables. 

I think of cables more as "do no harm" than a system "upgrade".  Not that they can't change the way things sound, they can and do, but my goal with cables is not to change the sound of my system, rather to make sure they aren't getting in the way of the music.  Room treatment on the other hand can have a significant positive impact on your listening experience.

I doubt you would go wrong with the Harbeth. It is my favorite of all of the many LS3/5A type speakers that I have owned. This guy likes them as much as I do!!

Speakers are connected using Cardis cross link bi-wire cables and interconnects between components are Audioquest Big Sur. Think both are about right for the system. Should have mentioned also have Emotion turntable and NAD CD player (can't remember model number but about 10 years old) 

The fact that you're saying the sound is "nice" is a good start.  Perhaps you should consider putting some resources into maxing out what you have, such as cables or platforms.  Many would argue against this and there are many who would agree, but I have found that the right cables can make a good system great. What are you using now?