I am enjoying my analog system, but what can I do to improve?

@rauliruegas , I prefer arms that are lighter. With lower compliance cartridges you can always add mass. It is much harder to take it away. I never use very low compliance cartridges because they will increase record and stylus wear and generally do not track as well. I go with medium to high compliance cartridges. There are very few ultra high compliance cartridge's available now. Not sure why. Maybe you know. Perhaps it is because nobody makes the ultra light arms they require any more. 

Remember, I own Sound Labs speakers and have been dealing with ESLs since 1978. The X350 will work, probably better than most but the high impedance at low frequencies will stifle it and choke the visceral component important to good bass. With ESLs you have to consider the amp as a component of the speaker. Generally amps with very large power supplies and ultra low impedance output sections will work better. They also have to have very good cooling because of the very low impedance at high frequencies demands high current which produces a lot of heat. The X350 is fine in that regard. Upgrading everything else is important but only applies to records. Improving the amplifier match will make a significant improvement with any source. 

@sheridanmartinj , next trade in the X350 for an XA200.8 and you will make an even larger jump in performance. Do not let the power specs fool you. The XA200.8 is a more powerful amp.

@shinemaster , you forgot Zenith! 

@limomangus , it seems you are a music lover but not an audiophile. Perhaps you are on the wrong site. The vast majority of us can not throw unlimited money at our systems. The trick is making the best system we can afford. Discussion is useful in that regard as well as a lot of research.

Chung, the Allnic L7000 is an outlier. Very few linestages are transformer coupled. 99% are capacitor coupled, some SS designs are direct coupled, and the Atmasphere MP1 and MP3 are unique in usuing a circlotron output stage. Now I leave to you the question of whether Raul’s opinion holds water or not, because I’ve never even heard a transformer coupled linestage, albeit the Allnic has a good reputation.

Also, if you take Mijostyn’s bald pronouncements on tonearms and their design as only his opinions, you’ll be best off.

Chungjh: we have similar room and in my experience near field is the best option .if you wanna try mix tube pre in your system with Pass try Audio Research ref.

Dear @mijostyn  : With a removable headshell tonearm design you always can take away mass, AT/Denon have headshell as ligther as 4gr.-5gr. .

In the other side the 545 review that Soundlabs posted in its site came by Enjoying Music and guess what, the speakers were reviewed mated precisely to the Pass 350 !

@lewm  the issue on the coupled transformer is not rocket science but just common sense that for what you posted I can think is different from mine. That's all. Pun is not intented. Period with.

R.

Dear @honeyooi and friends :  ""  in my experience near field is the best option. ""

Absolutely true and not only because is almost the only alternative chu has but because is the way we can really appreciate MUSIC as if we were seated in a live MUSIC event at nearfield.

IMHO, if we want to learn how good is our room/system we have to have a several first hand experiences through live MUSIC seated at nearfield and only if we have that experiences we can in true evaluate not only our system but any audio system listening to it at nearfield position. 

For many years now it's that what  I did and do in my system tests whole proccess.

No, normally I don't seat in my place at near field position because I have not a dedicated system room.  has my room/system differences seated at near field than into my normal position?  of course there are differences and my quest is to tweak my system trying that both positions be as nearest is possible, a real challenge.

R.