A rookie with 10K, seeking advise

It's easy to recommend better speakers. As long as you love looking into a dirty, unkempt room (in this specific case with everything else held static).

Take your Wharfedale speakers to any well executed system that is amp appropriate for the Wharfedales and you will be floored. Bring a top end speaker, regardless of spend (again amp appropriate) into your system...the results will speak for themselves.

Outside of acoustic treatment, speakers tend to have the most direct impact on what you hear.

I agree!

For 10K you can get some great speakers see below:

Mike

I suggest you think about what you are trying to accomplish.

Do you like the sound and your musical listening experience?

Are there aspects you'd like to improve?

$10k is a lot of money - so you can choose to buy a I-series savings bond and have $15k to spend in 5 years if you are happy with your current set-up.

Getting a Tidal or Quboz subscription may be the best move and save the money until another point in time.

I recommend improving a 'weak area' or upgrading speakers first then sources (includes preamp), then amp then cables.  

Since you’re not yet sure of your tastes yet and don’t have many viable options to go listen, I’ll recommend a system the shoots straight down the middle of the fairway (i.e. neither overly bright or warm) that will very likely blow you away. The best part is if I’m wrong you can turn around and sell it with little/no loss. This is the latest Joseph Audio Pulsar ll (upgraded) in gorgeous sapele wood finish WITH STANDS and a near-new Hegel H390 integrated amp.  I heard Pulsars driven by Hegel at a show and the sound was absolutely sublime.  Read the reviews of each to get an idea of their performance/sound characteristics.

https://www.usaudiomart.com/details/649877069-joseph-audio-pulsar-graphene-sapele-with-sound-anchor-stsnds/

https://www.usaudiomart.com/details/649881872-hegel-h390-17-mos-old/

You don’t need to be dumping tons on cables at this point. This looks like a very nice power cord and is dirt cheap — I’m actually buying one myself.  8AWG silver-plated copper, Teflon dialectic, and rhodium-plated plug for $39 1.5m and free shipping.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/202808747120

And here are very good Cullen Cable biwire speaker cables — 8ft pair only $340.

https://www.cullencable.com/crossover-series-speaker-cables/

This will sound outstanding and comes in right around your budget.  Just one option to consider.  Hope this helps and best of luck. 

put it in the bank....then when the Market returns go for it.