Shunyata Venom RCA vs Bluesound Node 2i stock rca

I kind of kick myself that I spent so many years listening to wires that were negatively impacting the sound of my system.

@markusthenaimnut  Nah.  Pat yourself on the back and Goodonya for keeping an open mind and having the confidence and courage to trust your own ears.  Many here never manage that and they need to have numbers or experiments tell them what can sound good and rather waste their time telling those of us who clearly hear differences that we’re just kidding ourselves.  Obviously you now know different and are reaping the significant and ongoing benefits of your efforts. 

I wouldn’t bother with cables for that system. Not yet at least.
Better and more transparent cables will just highlight some of the drawbacks up and down stream. BluJeans cables should be fine. 
If your Denon amp works good, look into upgrading speakers. 

@jasonbourne71 Did not do any blind trials.  How do you do that?  
@soix What would you recommend replacing my AVR with?  Also, which LPS and ethernet cable would you recommend?  
 

**Thanks to all who responded to my questions!  I really appreciate it!

What would you recommend replacing my AVR with? Also, which LPS and ethernet cable would you recommend?

Well, these are huge questions, and it really all boils down to what improvements you’d like and what sound characteristics are most important to you — and how far you wanna go with this in terms of budget. I’d start by thinking about and communicating these crucial things first before focusing on specific equipment and you’ll get some really good recommendations here. Not to be mean, but your current components owe you nothing, and if I’m you and you’re after better sound it’s time to cut bait, clear the decks, and start over completely — and yeah, that includes speakers too. It’s a great opportunity and a fascinating learning experience if you’re up for it. It should be a labor of love that can reap wonderful rewards for many, many years to come. Sorry to be a bit sappy here, but good audio is nothing if it doesn’t get at least a bit emotional. Anyway…

Well, my budget is small. So, I’d like to optimize what I have for now in a way that would be applicable for the future. Even if it’s one step at a time getting the best price whether it’s used or new without being frivolous.  That’s why I asked for recommendations of what you suggested.  If I’m making a purchase that I don’t have the cash for I usually find a way to finance it with zero or minimal interest.