@kiwiscott -- "What I’m really wondering is -- should I spend my 7k on a set up which would set me up for the next 10 years or do I wait, spending perhaps half that now, and wait to see where the market goes."
And, after the market goes to that point, then, with time, it’s going to go to another point. In short, change is endless. You can easily find yourself endlessly frozen in place waiting to see what the next change is.
The key is to listen to your current system, then see what is available within your budget, and then decide if the new stuff you’ve just heard is sufficiently better than where you are currently to justify spending the money. That decision is different for everyone. Only you can decide whether an upgrade is worth it for your musical enjoyment. I know many people -- often musicians -- who get great pleasure from listening to simple and inexpensive systems. And I know others who spend enormous amounts on fancy equipment who are never satisfied.