ROI. Where is money better spent?

I appreciate everyones input on the matter and will use it to help guide me in my choices. I look forward to learning from you folks, as i am sure i will seek more guidance in the neer future. Hope everyones holidays are going well and good listening.

Good room treatment? Do you guys mean putting some high-quality art on the walls so you have something to look at while you're listening?

First step in good room treatment is setting up your system within the room (how far your speakers are from your wall, how far apart they are from each other, and how far they are from you). This all depends on the room dimensions. After placement, room treatment usually means adding acoustic paneling to absorb certain sounds (think how an empty room echoes when there is no furniture or no drapes on the walls) and acoustic diffusers to disperse the reflection of music in a way that adds positive resonance and complexity of the sound in the room (like a bookshelf, where if sound hits, it bounces it countless directions).

Much room treatment can be started with the furniture and living things you have on hand, but there are also audiophile treatments you can add, like bass traps that absorb the bass in the corners of the room and bring clarity to the remainder of the frequency range. But @erik_squires is spot on - it doesn’t matter what components you improve first if the room is not set up well for it.

Actually, there's another thread going on about this now:
https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/for-a-quick-good-time-blankets

@thiefoflight , @erik_squires 

Absolutely agree, no amount of $$$ spent on gear can overcome/compensate for poor setup and room treatment.
Before spending even more money on another piece of equipment, get your current system to "play the room", and get your room treatments done to have the least detrimental effect on the sound.
Buy Jim Smith's book "Get Better Sound", it is invaluable.

Happy listening, peaceful listening, joyful listening!
Tom