Amps or Speakers which one to upgrade next


I have a Rogue Audio Cronus Mag integrated driving Vandersteen 2ce sig II
Very happy with the setup but looking to do better  My budget is around $7000
preferably new but used might be Okay
Let me know what your thoughts are
128x128tomstruck
I think we all have a list of LPs we’ed like to acquire.

A speaker upgrade is one of the more noticeable and satisfying expenditures. You being a current Vandersteen user I would warn against considering another brand. Your ears have grown accustom to Vandersteen’s presentation and their above average attention to time and phase characteristics. After you’d get over another brands initial general difference in scale you’ll become aware something simply isn’t right.

If you’re compelled to a switch keep your Vandy’s around. As soon as you hook them back up to compare you’ll notice what I’m trying to describe.

Another consideration would be to add a pair of subwoofers to complement your 2ce’s such as a pair of Syzygy Acoustics or the Audio Kinesis Swarm. You’ll keep subwoofers long after the rest of your system has cycled out. In many rooms their location flexibility works much better than built in subs.

Have fun.
I've seen the same system use Rega RS3 speakers in jumps from 800$ rotel amp to 3k amps to 11K amp and the speakers were fully capable
of showing any and all  differences .
@pops Spending other peoples money for them is one of my favorite things to do! :) Even hypothetically lol.
The OP's question is very legitimate and something, I believe, almost each of us faces from time to time. If I had $7k to upgrade amps/speakers I would think long and hard. In my case, I would probably think that this amount is not enough to get me great speakers so I would most likely either wait longer and save up or go ahead with the amp and maybe speaker cables upgrade. $7k is good money for an amp, not so good for speakers.