Most significant upgrade

I too love the Harbeth sound, and if you take the manufacturer's word for it, and a large number of users, it sounds pretty darn good with a wide variety of amplifiers. It seems you have some pretty large group of devotees in the Harbeth, Vandersteen, and Merlin camps - and Maggies too (though WAF might be lower than VS). Like I said, everything is important, but the speakers are the basis of the overall sound of a system IMHO, and I think many others think the same way on system building hierachy - though in a vinyl front end, I do think there is a lot of importance and differences to be had with the quality of TT.tonearm, cartridge combinations - less so with digital in my experience.

Given your tastes in music I think the Harbeth's compact 7's are a winner. They are not the last work in bass response or dynamics but they have a nice forward mid range that is clean and clear of colorations. A little laid back in the upper mids ( you can hear this on horns ) but in a nutshell this is an EXCELLENT choice and it is without doubt the "ideal" speaker for a many folks who appreciate vocals and a good mid range!

Hey I didn't call it a toy, it seems cartridges can always be interchanged for different presentations.

Samhar, I was not directing the toy comment to you. Many apologies if you took it that way, it was directed to another contributor that called my TT a "toy". Your comments are more than respected and appreciated.

Shadorne has a very accurate take on the Harbeth. If I were not "addicted" to my Merlin, it is the speaker I would most highly consider, probably HL5. I suspect I would also like Maggies very much, but my amps are just not well suited to drive them.