$3000: upgrade Tyler Linbrooks or amplification?

I've never heard your amp, but in general I think the differences in amps and pre-amps is smaller than most audiophiles imagine, once you get to a certain level of build quality. Speakers are another matter. That said, I'd be reluctant to spend 3k on speakers I couldn't audition in my home (though I did just that when I bought by VR4 HSEs sight unseen, or sound unheard--go figure). And my own opinion, if I might respectfully dissent from Newbee's view, is that you already have the only goal you'll ever need: a better sounding audio system. In my own experience, I've had trouble hearing deficits in my system until I heard something I liked better. Good luck.

Stewie, For the sake of argument, IMHO if you have no reference to what 'better' means (to you) how will you ever know when to stop up-grading. There is always going to be something 'better' on the horizon even if in reality its only different.

IMHO, if I didn't make it clear, if you don't have a goal, how do you know when to stop? When you run out of money?

I'm always concerned for folks who ask for reccomendations for new speakers (or anything) but are unable to articulate what they don't enjoy about thier present speakers or their system. I've been there, done that, and never was really satisfied until I came to an honest assessment of what I wanted to hear, not what some one else said was what they loved, was SOTA, etc. Arriving at that stage it was much easier to read opinions and get some value, and sometimes direction, from them.

BTW, for those folks with defined audio expectations, and who have developed critical listening skills, I think I would disagree with you that the electronic's are not so important. IMHO, once you have found speakers that 'can' satisfy you in your room after they have been properly set up, the electronics are going can make or break real long term 'system' satisfaction.

A good analogy is, perhaps, represented by the fellow that auditions say your VSA's at a dealers or friends home. And thinks how magnificant they are. He get them home and is are disappointed. Why?

Well, assuming you have the same room, so to speak, and you have carefully set them up, guess what - its the electronics that are making the difference.

The speakers are what they are, and IMHO, it is often far easier to tune a high quality set of speakers with appropriate electronics, than it is to find a speaker that matches your electronics and gives you long term satisfaction.

But obviously that opinion is just the result of my experience. YMMV.

Newbee, it may be that nothing hangs on the difference b/t our points of view. I'll just say that--to take a concrete example--I didn't know the bass I was missing in my Kef Reference 3s until I heard the VR4s. On the other hand, the Kef's had a more seamless integration across the frequency range, at least in my room. None of these "problems"--very luxurious problems to have, of course, in our first-world experience--was evident until I heard the speakers side by side. When to stop upgrading? No one's been able to figure that one out, but money's as good an answer as any. As for the amp, pre-amp business, I'd just say that, all things remaining equal, a 3k upgrade in speakers is much more likely to make a difference in sound than a 3k upgrade in amplification, assuming that we start with something pretty good.

That is kind of what I came to as well, after originally posting here with the question, and listening to other amps/preamps in my system. I had some stuff (amp/preamp combos) that retailed for $15,000 (not the highest end, but pretty darn good) and the system improved, sure. More detail in the background, strings and piano sounded more realistic, bass a little tighter. It was nice. But, at 2x the retail price of my old stuff, it should be. And, we aren't talking a huge difference: if I didn't have the cash to double my investment in amplification (I don't) then I won't be sorry about listening to what I have. I could spend a couple thousand and get the amplification marginally better, but if the speakers aren't able to do much more with the signal, what is it worth?

At this point, I am leaning toward a speaker upgrade. With regards to why I am looking at the D1's without hearing them: I would have a money-back option if they didn't work. I love my Linbrooks as well, so anything that has a similar sound (musical, detailed, quite realistic) but is improving on it would be a + in my book. These are just easy to listen to, no matter the amplification, and (not being trained in music, but just enjoying it at a consumer) they sounds pretty close to the "you are there" experience, at least as much as can be expected by trying to duplicate a full orchestra in a 400 square foot living room!