Help me spend $100,000 on a new system

Mike, to clarify, laoman wasn't recommending the Parasound JC3 phono stage, quite the opposite.

Personally, I use the Goldnote PH10 with their PSU 10 linear power supply which I think is very good for around $3K and will run pretty much any MC/MM cart. It has balanced XLR outputs which I was only recently able to utilize with my new BAT VK 3500 and the difference between RCA and XLR was significant (I a/b tested exactly the same brand/model of cable in both RCA and XLR).

FWIW I have been told by several high-end audio dealers that I would have to spend roughly double to beat the Goldnote. Others here may have a different opinion of course.

@mahgister I always enjoy your posts and find them insightful.

@skyscraper Congrats. It is hard for others to build your system because it depends on the type of sound you like and the music you listen to. Big money can be spent on a system that does not pair well with your music style or taste for sound profile.  There is great advice in this thread. I would spend some on improving your room both the acoustics and just to make it a place you really enjoy being. I am fighting my room right now even though I have spent a good bit of money on components.  My next spend will be on room treatment. Plus, for me, part of the enjoyment is being in a clean, comforting, relaxing space.

I would not start from scratch, but swap out a few things. I would also hold some money back for upgrades down the road to improve the sound or mix it up. I also encourage you to try streaming. It opens up such a vast amount of new tracks, again, part of the fun at least for me.

Good luck and keep us posted on your progress.

but do know some sound more three dimensional, almost in person live

@skyscraper , if I had the financial where with all, this would be my goal also.

As it is, I know my limitations, and for that reason have never tried to listen to anything that I knew I couldn't have.  I am not saying that logic is good for everyone, but I know myself, so I know that hearing something that was approaching The Holy Grail would not be good for me.

Earlier in this thread I alluded to a work friend of mine who, going on 30 years ago, bought a pair of Cary 805s and some other gear.  I never went over to his place to listen to the system that he bought because I felt the need to be happy with what I had at the time.  But what he was always telling me was that "It is like being there."

And that is what I have always heard about the SET stuff, particularly the higher powered SET stuff, and for that reason, if I could afford to buy it, I think I would want to find a way to hear it in action.

On another note, getting into the later '90s, after I had made a few equipment upgrades, I bought some NOS tubes to retube the new stuff with from Andy at Vintage Tubes.  In the course of a few conversations via telephone, we wound  up discussing gear.  I remember him speaking almost orgasmically about what 200 watts of pure class A push pull power sounded like.  I remember him using the term "liquid fire" somewhere in that conversation.   Tht would also be something I would like to hear if I could afford to buy it.

Hey, You have really nice components. I would upgrade a couple of things like your speaker cables. I like Cardas, but try before you buy. Make sure your cartridge is setup correctly in the VPI. I would go with a tube preamp like a VAC or an Audio Research Ref 6se. Make sure it is SE version. It will work better with SS amp.  You can use the amp in your Luxman  integrated or go to the Luxman M10X amp.  The most important thing before you swap any equipment in your new place is treat the room. Probably $20k or less. Acoustic Fields. This will make a Bluetooth speaker sound amazing. Maybe, just maybe the room treatments are all you need. I am not a fan of Mark Levinson preamps. They convert all to digital even the phono. Total of everything above is about $80k. Maybe you get a couple subs and have them setup properly in the room. The best thing about the system above is you can listen at very low volume with full dynamics. I have Ref 2se with a Luxman M10X and Revel Studio2 speakers and two JL Audio F110 subs with the external JL Audio CR1 crossover. I can listen to my system on volume 1 out of 100. At 5 out of 100 I have full range of sound. My speakers are not efficient. Maybe 86db at 3.78 ohms. Similar to your speakers. I hope this helps. 

OP - I’m a few years older than you but did something similar in one way but possibly different from what you’re planning in another. First off, I sold all of my “big dedicated room expensive stuff” including my turntable. Not because I didn’t like it or had the money to do even more, but because I enjoy and now have plenty of time exploring something new and different in audio. I then set up a smaller, dedicated listening area where I do nothing but stream. Quite frankly I finally just got tired of the ritual of playing records. Plus I’ve found that digital these days is pretty darn good and considering your loss of hearing as you age, is more than good enough at this point in life. Also after listening to (and playing) music for more than 60 years, I’m learning so much more about music then I ever had the time or ability to devote to before. Now I have a much smaller club like studio atmosphere where every thing is in easy reach of my listening position. My daily exercise is hiking with my dog, not changing records. Finally, in my smaller, more intimate listening area, I can reduce the size, weight and cost of my speakers (and certain other electronics) and still have at least the same but mostly better results. Plus the big screen is still around for the grandkids who could care less if my DAC sounds as good as what I used to have.