Amps or Speakers which one to upgrade next

I looking for better transparency better bass control and little more power  I have listen to Van 2 with the AR vsi 60 not a big enough step 
I talk to John all the time and at the store very couple of weeks

so far on the my list Aesthetix MIMAS integrated when released

@tomstruck

I looking for better transparency better bass control and little more power

If you get new speakers, they will be the key to how much power you need. The best amps I've had were 45wpc and now 35wpc. I've had 200wpc & 250wpc. Neither sounded as good with the speakers I have as the 35wpc VTA ST-70 amp I now have. If you go with or keep the Vandies, you will need a high current amp since they are not very efficient  (86db). IIUC, that is not the same as high wattage though there tends to be a linkage between the two. My main point is that high power amps does not necessarily equate to better sound. My speakers are rated at 93.5db efficiency. So 35wpc amp is good for me.

I recently listened to Watkins Gen 4 speakers and was stunned at the sound coming from a monitor/bookshelf speaker. I hadn't considered them because my room is quite large and I didn't think a monitor would be adequate. However he shows them in a 14x28x10 room which is similar to my main room. Bass is unheard of.from speakers that size. Imaging is great. Dynamics is off the charts as is the attack. $2k gets them with 30 day return policy. Depending on room size you might still need a sub. I would in my room. But the Gen 4 goes down to 41hz. BTW they received the golden ear award from TAS. Dick Olsher is the reviewer. I have the article but can't find the link now for some reason

http://www.watkinsstereo.com/

FTR, I am not affiliated with this company . However I do know both father and son Watkins and have bought equipment from them. I heard the speakers in their showroom. Sorry I can't find TAS article because I agree with what he wrote. 

As for an amp,  Bob Latino of VTA sells very good amps IMO. Again it depends upon your speakers sensitivity. He has 35-125 wpc amps which you can build or he will build for you. My ST-70 from him replaced an amp which retailed for 3 times the price. Roy Mottran has a killer preamp at the same site.

http://www.tubes4hifi.com/bob.htm

I'm not affiliated with this company either except I have one of Bobs amps. FWIW, your $7k budget allows you to get all three of the pieces I listed (excluding maybe  the mono-blocs) IMO you would have a very good base to build from

artemus, just looked up Watkins speakers and they look very impressive on paper. Thanks for sharing.  We are so fortunate to have so many options out there for great speakers at almost any budget.  And keep learning about new ones every day.

@tomstruck,
I heard the Aesthetic at Johnny's (Atlas?, I believe), with a pair of ProAc's (don't know the model), and was very impressed.
I think you should post your question to him.
I would trust his opinion implicitly.
B