Using the Marantz AVR as a front end to everything you have is clearly the weakest link.
You seem to like separates and combining a preamp with a DAC - or virtually anything - is going to lessen the quality of the preamp itself. There are plenty of preamps under 2K which would have a number of line outs for all of your gear. Rogue's RP-1 can be had used for under 1.5K. NAD does make a streamer preamp that I am sure would be a step up in sound from the Marantz.
Not a fan of Parasound, I had the 2125V2 amp for awhile it had plenty of power, it was dry and lifeless with music. I understand that it would work well with dialogue that would be fitting for TV, but music and dialogue are two different animals.
I have the Yggy and enjoy it but DAC's are the one area where inroads can and will be made in the future, so I would suggest the much cheaper Bifrost v2 which I also had and was warmer in the high-end which negates the sometimes brittle edge you can get with many DAC's. None of the DAC's I have had matched the performance of my turntable setups. I had an Xpression (one of many Pro-Ject's I started with) at one time and currently have the Rega P6/Ania setup. The Yggy did not beat the Xpression- nor the Rega P6. I had a Musical Surroundings Nova III with battery pack for both of those turntables so YMMV. Phono preamp's are typically ignored but make a huge difference just as premps to amps do in every setup. Point being, if you like the sound of vinyl, it is doubtful you will ever have a DAC that will top that sound. Someday, I believe, that may not be true but turning and burning on DAC's is a great way to lose money in a quest to sit and listen, rather than searching and flipping...although there is nothing wrong with that! It's just a money pit and you may want to tell your wife that there is nothing wrong with that, if that makes sense to her! (It won't).
Preamps are the front end and I had a few before the RP-1 but I would highly recommend you purchase one with tubes in the output stage (like the RP-1). I would not suggest however that you go to far beyond that as, for me and others here who generally agree, you really can only hear the output tubes and if you purchased one that has more than 2 tubes, you are entering an area that may prove murky and fundamentally change everything.
My experience with a PrimaLuna 100 was one that made me realize I had too many tubes in front of my SS amps. There was a veil and rolling tubes did not lift the curtain. The RP-1 was far better than the PrimaLuna at a lower price and less maintenance. But, I will admit, the PrimaLuna was the ONLY piece of gear that I ever bought and sold for more - 3 years later at more than $550 my purchase price!! That never happens, but they are popular for reasons I can only imagine that have to do with looks. It looked awesome! WOW look at thing! But Sound? Does that matter? lol
So after switching out the two stock J&J tubes that the RP-1 comes with (to NOS Mullards) I was completely sold on the RP-1 and it is a keeper.
If you are considering a Preamp that would include a DAC, Streamer, etc., then you may want to just get an integrated amp with all those things included. It does get crowded with separates, and the added cost of cables is something you must contend with. But as soon as you get a preamp that does more than just that you are weakening the link at the preamp level..if that makes sense. For me, I will never use the headphone amp in the RP-1 but that I saw as a giveaway. If a Preamp comes with a Streamer or Phono preamp you are getting more than a preamp, but lesser of a preamp...if THAT makes any sense!?
Good luck, you seem to be where I once was and you should not make the same mistakes that I did!
