Upgrade phenomenon

Nothing new has been put in yet. I was doing some critical listening to try to etch the before sound into memory (even though it should already be there). I think what I'm feeling is close to buyer's remorse and anxiety that my tin ears won't hear a difference, much less an improvement. I literally moved that speaker all of one inch, maybe. In reality there hasn't been some dramatic change; I'm just worried that I pissed away a bunch of money. We'll see after I wait for delivery and give it some time to burn in. Logic says a new tube power amp (Primaluna HP) is going to sound quite different than a 20 year old solid state integrated (Musical Fidelity A300). Of course then I'll need to decide if using the integrated as a pre, running straight from the source, or buying an inexpensive interim pre will sound better until I figure out the next step.

Tube gear makes you a better person even if you haven't installed it yet...your skin clears up, people pay closer attention to what you say, and you get slightly taller. Once the gear is installed, most of the above levels off.

Buyer's Remorse. 

+1 wolf_garcia LOL hilarious!

cat_doorman, what’s to stress over, unless you shouldn’t have spent the money! I suggest you get totally stressed, upset stomach, itchy, sleepless... maybe even tension headaches. It all helps the distressing when the equipment comes and you realize that things do actually change rather dramatically.

Then you can begin the process of great self-congratulation for being such a genius in buying equipment unheard and having such a big positive result! You can conclude that now you are SO close to state of the art sound that it’s not possible for it to get any better.

In other words, the typical Audiophile Nervosa experience. ;)

Seriously, try all variants, because no one here can tell you which system setup will be superior to your ears. For inspiration, read my recent review of the Kinki Studio EX-M1+ Integrated Amplifier at Dagogo.com
Ignore the sound quality discussion, as you just bought and do not want to second guess. Pay attention to the need for exploring alternative configurations. You are on the right track.

But, really, you need to do something about your stress level! ;)

I'm sure impressed with my Primaluna Dialogue Premium HP power amp.  It's better than anything else I've heard in my system - McIntosh, McCORMACK, and several lesser amps as well.  If you bought without hearing a demo, you're in for a very pleasant treat.