Most significant upgrade


Guy and gals, I know i'm leaving myself vulnerable here so be gentle. What would you feel my most significant real world upgrade would be,,,,,,,,,keep in mind I don't want to spend my son's entire college fund on this "upgrade" so keep it real,

Peace and Love
jimbojrjb
I do think room treatment is very important, especially so with handling of bass, and can have an impact on imaging too if you deal with side reflections, etc, but I view room treatment as an IMPORTANT tweak to optimize performance, whereas changing speakers truly changes the basic sound signature of the system, room placement and treatment optimize what the speaker is capable of along with the right amp to do the job.

So the starting point for me is, do you want to keep the speakers you have and build the system around them? Or do you want to find the best speaker for your taste (you might already have it) and start the improvements after that? OP, where do you stand on that?
I think resolving this conversation will depend on where your son goes to college...if he gets into Bates with no financial assistance you may have to sell everything and buy a small table radio...he goes to a local state school and it's HIFI BONANZA TIME!
Thanks for the wide variety of responses. One thing I should not is the room is set up quite differently than the pics show.......sorry for any confusion. I the ML's firing long ways in the room which is 14' x 19' with velvet curtains behind and room tune panels on the reflective surfaces adjacent via "Jim Smith's" flashlight technique. I also had no idea I had a "toy" for a turntable.......It's quite funny but I did listen to nearly every turntable and arm combo in the entire southeastern part of the US from Virginia down to Miami and for the money spent, the Rega P5 sounded pretty damn good............although the new VPI Classic 3 blew me away, but so did the price. I tend to agree with Mezmo as I am sitting back listening to Margo Timmons Live Trinity Sessions LP (after having heard them live in New Orleans) with a big freakin grin on my face.......greed can get the best of us, but I do appreciate all the comments/opinions. Both the good and the bad.

On a more specific question, I can't count on both hands how many folks have suggested the Vandy 2's, including the dealer I purchased the Rogue from. What about the Harbeth Compact 7s??

Inna: A toy?? Seriously???
The reason I suggested the 2CE sigs is because I am familiar with the sound of both your current speakers and the 2 CE sigs. For the type of music you listen to, and your integrated that you are using. The Vandersteen speakers have a frequency range of 29Hz to 29kHz, 6ohms nominal 4 ohm minimum. Your MLs are 40Hz to 20kHz, and drop down below 2 ohms in the upper frequency extremes, the Harbeths are 46Hz to 20kHz but I am not familiar with the sound of Harbeth speakers so I will not comment on that. So the Vandys will play lower than the other two. I also agree completely with the room treatment suggestions as well. BTW your Rega is not a toy.

Dan