Lost on next upgrade from SME 20/2 + IV.Vi arm ...

Hi Jfrech, From your system pics it appears that you still have the old power supply unit for your 20. I upgraded mine and was very happy with the result. Maybe that would give you what you want. The new power supply increases the torque of the motor giving a sound which is bigger and more powerful. Works well with Lyra because I was running a Helikon at the time therefore the Skala should be more than enough,

Jonathan.

Dear John: +++++ " My system is posted. I'll appreciate all thoughts and comments. " +++++ and then:
+++++ " is a little more soul and dynamics " ++++++.

Looking to your very nice audio system IMHO you can/could have two ( different ) " weak " links ( nothing is perfect ): your separate line and phono stage and your amps.
John I'm not saying that the BAT electronics are not good ones because they are, no I'm trying to help you in some serious way:

your Wilson 8 impedance curve tell us that goes below 4 Ohms and near 2 Ohms from 150 Hz and below that and that its electrical impedance curve goes from 2 Ohms to 10 Ohms ( a lot of swing ), this means that those speakers needs an amplifier with very low output impedance ( I can say no more than 0.1 Ohms ) for can match the speakers own impedance and play together " efortless " and colorless with the dynamic that you are missing today. Your amps has at 4 Ohm taps around 1.4 Ohms: too high for those Wilson, this is a severe mistmatch.
IMHO you have at least two options: change the amps is one of them and other one could be to add a pair of subwoofers ( in true stereo fashion ) that not only can/could give you all its inherent advantages ( clean-up your bass and mid bass response, better image/soundstage, deeper and tight low bass, better high frequency response, etc, etc, ) but that can/could liberate your today amps for that frequency range where the Wilsons goes too low ( impedance )and where your amps are in more serious trouble.

Now, you state +++++ " I listen to my vinyl set up 99% of the time... " ++++++

this means to me that your first step should/could be to get the best quality Phonolinepreamp out there, it does not matters what you do elsewhere your system if the cartridge signal is degraded through the Phonolinepreamp ( stay aways from additional cables/connectors, these devices are additional veils to the cartridge signal! ) that is where that delicate/critical/exposed low level signal " suffer " a heavy/hard process where could loose its integrity and true due to distortions/inaccuracies/colorations/noises/etc on the Phonolinepreamp, so this analog audio link is of paramount importance to achieve your music/sound reproduction goals in your very nice system.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.

JRManders: I just took my suspension up...maybe at 5-6 mm now. It does open it up some, a little more energy, detail, depth - especially on top, but nothing grainy still effortless, subtle but noticable. I need to listen it this way for a bit, not sure I lost anything at first listen, seems like a step in the direction!

Dear John: +++++ " my BAT phono stage is pretty darn good, I don't know what else to go for except maybe a Aesthetix Io. " +++++

well as good it is there are other better alternatives for this critical analog link.

The dynamics that you are missing ( between other things ) has to do/see ( between other things ) with that the cartridge signal in your today analog chain pass through many different stages before the amplifiers ( too many ):

three gain stages in the phonostage, two stages at the output of the phonostage ( male and female connectors ), one stage through the cable/wire ( IC ), two more stages at the line input stage ( male and female connector ) and finally one gain stage inside the linestage unit ( btw, the Aestethix don't do better. ), this means NINE stages/veils/filters/"infection" sources that the cartridge signal has to run and where in each one of those nine stages/steps the cartridge signal suffer a degradation ( different degradation levels and of different kind. ).

Now, do you think ( everything the same ) that if the cartridge signal instead to pass for nine stages/filters/steps/veils pass only for 3 to 4 stages ( like in a Phonolinepreamp: integrated unit. ) can you have a better quality performance?, well IMHO with less stages we can conserve the cartridge signal with less ( very low/lower ) alterations and nearer to the recording ( more truer music ) quality reproduction where less signal alterations/degradations means: lower distortion, low coloration, lower noise, more accurate, higher dynamics, more soul, more music, more emotions, more feelings, more and more and more and lower.. of what any music lover is looking for.

John please think about, there is no black magic here only simple facts.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.