As someone who can't hear any difference in audio equipment or paraphernalia, except in speakers and phono cartridges - including in blind tests - and since I gave up vinyl over 25 years ago, my focus is always on speaker upgrade and room treatment.
For 2-channel I use all vintage (Pioneer SA-8800, C-72/M-72, Kenwood 7030) - because I like the looks - with a Schiit Modi DAC (given my programming background and understanding of how they work, I doubt if I could tell one DAC from another, but this is one piece of equipment I haven't tested blind). Vintage doesn't sound any different to me. My second most important piece of equipment is a laptop with REW and UMIK-1.
If you like Magnepan it seems that's your first obvious upgrade path. I will be using Maggies (MG-10QR/CC3/MC1 tri-center) in the HT of my new house (unusual, I know, but I'm not a "dynamics" or SPL guy for TV or movies), but for most of the rock music I listen to I prefer speakers with flat FR on/off-axis (Revel, PSB, Paradigm Sigs, KEF Reference, Technics, etc. ... I own the Sigs and Technics, and would love to find a pair of KEF 201/2). I think Maggies are fine for classical and jazz. I think what everyone prefers in speakers is too variable for recommendations, but Toole has proven that most people prefer flatter FR in a blind setting.
My feeling is, if you can't hear it blind, it doesn't exist. I understand with the lack of brick-and-mortar it's getting harder to do, but if possible test blind on everything else before you buy. If you can hear a difference blind, fine. If not, it saves you a lot of money if your ears say "watts-is-watts and wire-is-wire". Unlike some of the hard-core "scientists", I think single-blind is close enough if you have the right person doing it.
And as a musician myself, forget trying to recreate the live experience. It's a Don Quixote-esque quest.
For 2-channel I use all vintage (Pioneer SA-8800, C-72/M-72, Kenwood 7030) - because I like the looks - with a Schiit Modi DAC (given my programming background and understanding of how they work, I doubt if I could tell one DAC from another, but this is one piece of equipment I haven't tested blind). Vintage doesn't sound any different to me. My second most important piece of equipment is a laptop with REW and UMIK-1.
If you like Magnepan it seems that's your first obvious upgrade path. I will be using Maggies (MG-10QR/CC3/MC1 tri-center) in the HT of my new house (unusual, I know, but I'm not a "dynamics" or SPL guy for TV or movies), but for most of the rock music I listen to I prefer speakers with flat FR on/off-axis (Revel, PSB, Paradigm Sigs, KEF Reference, Technics, etc. ... I own the Sigs and Technics, and would love to find a pair of KEF 201/2). I think Maggies are fine for classical and jazz. I think what everyone prefers in speakers is too variable for recommendations, but Toole has proven that most people prefer flatter FR in a blind setting.
My feeling is, if you can't hear it blind, it doesn't exist. I understand with the lack of brick-and-mortar it's getting harder to do, but if possible test blind on everything else before you buy. If you can hear a difference blind, fine. If not, it saves you a lot of money if your ears say "watts-is-watts and wire-is-wire". Unlike some of the hard-core "scientists", I think single-blind is close enough if you have the right person doing it.
And as a musician myself, forget trying to recreate the live experience. It's a Don Quixote-esque quest.