Upgrade advice please

First of all, thank you to the users who post on here, advice I've had so far has been superb.
OK here's my current setup and usage
Onkyo TR-309 Amplifier
Kef q35 Speakers
Pro-ject Debut Carbon Esprit turntable with Ortofon Blue
Cambridge Audio 651p phono stage
Raspberry Pi 3 (2 of them, one with Kodi, the other with a hifi-berry card used with Volumio for HiRes audio.

Like everyone on here, I want to get the best sound possible and keep upgrading. I upgraded to the 651p and it sounds great.

My question is, for value for money, which upgrade path should I take? In other words, where I am I going to see noticeable differences for the best money possible.

 

Turntable, source first

 

Thanks for that Linto. What about for general sound improvements for my digital files - flac / 96khz and general lossless files?

 

I've never heard KEFs, but the biggest improvement or change I've ever experienced is with new speakers. Next would be amplification. Everything else is more subtle and nuanced. From my experience.

 

Thanks Macman. I suppose a lot depends on budget for speakers and you get what you pay for. The KEFs are a 90s model but still sound good these days. I'm sure speakers have come a long way since then though Also depends on what the missus things looks acceptable in the front room...

 

Spousal acceptibility is always a consideration.

If you're happy with your speakers, I would audition a new amp or two to see if you're getting the most out your KEFs.

 

It might be best to hold tight, it seems like a pretty well matched system as is. With that said, getting out of a 65 watt AVR is a big opportunity for improvement.

 

What is it about your current system that leaves you wanting more? What specifically, regarding SQ, do you think you need? Bass is rolled-off and you want deeper, more extended bass response? Highs are rolled-off, and you want more "sparkle" and "crash" on cymbals? The midrange is too fat and is making it hard to hear low end and high end? Or does the system seem "slow" and you're looking for more transient response and attack to each note?

 

To me, once you have components of a basic solid quality, the best and most important upgrade path is set-up optimization with room measurements, and room treatment especially to control the impact of bass standing waves.

 

That's a lot of questions! To be honest, I don't really know. I'm not unhappy with the system, but just always want 'better'. I suppose my taste has always been the 'u' shape equaliser. Less mid range, but nice thumpy bass, but most important for me is clarity in the high end. I have got a cheap powered sub (Sony) which I forgot to mention, but this isn't something I really want to spend money on to replace.

 

Mitsuman gave you a lot to think about and you should take your time to get to know what you want out of your system. Listen to a lot of live music to get a point of reference. Do you have any audio dealers close to you? Visit them and audition some systems. Prioritize your needs and consider your budget limitations. Get more experience with audio to be able to take your own decisions and reach your own conclusions. That's what this hobby is about.

You got it all wrong if you think that by constantly upgrading you are going to reach some kind of audio nirvana. At this point, I think you should get Jim Smith's book Get Better Sound, there is a lot of good information there. This is going to be much more usuful than any upgrade.

 

When I went through this I first took care of power by going with amp and pre amp separates. Then speakers, then turn table.

That is not necessarily the best route...where I noticed the biggest differences was speakers and turn table

 

Yea, we all want more..MORE! hence the hobby..it's fun to think how can I get more of this awesomeness, go on with the want brother..I am

 

Agreed on listening to a good variety of live music. OP, also try and find friends or acquaintance that have moderate and high-end systems. Take the same music with you, and listen to it on a number of different systems. If you can find a few songs that you like, and then listen to those same songs on several different systems, you'll reach a point where you are so familiar with how those songs "sound", that likely you will find that the instruments/vocals sound "right on one of the systems more so than the others, and most likely the music sounds different than when played on your system.

At that point you can start figuring out what part(s) of their systems are contributing to that sound that you like. And as others have said, speaker placement and room treatments will generally yield much bigger improvements (differences) to SQ than one single component.

Welcome to the sickness.

 

ROOM TREATMENTS.

 

The exact same advice you gave me a few months ago! Followed it and am much happier. I also used Deoxit to clean my inputs, cables, cords, etc., dressed the cables, and leveled the stand my equipment was on.