ARC SP16 vs SP8

Nick, you make a great point, i might have my speakers too close to eachother. I will try to space them further apart. My room is small which is why i bought magnepan mc1 on stands with a sub for the low end. They are about 4 feet from the wall. Im gonna space them out about 5 1/2 to 6 feet apart. I had them about 4 feet apart. I usually sit 6 feet away from the speakers. The sub is behind the right maggie in the corner which sounds really good.
Elizabeth, 1,400 for a 15 is steal if its anything like the 10 or 11. I paid more for the 16 lol. If i ever see that pre amp for that price im all over it. I also use a ps audio duet which at first was really bright but calmed down over time. Im not sure if it improved my system, but i havent removed it.

Oh yea as far as cables are, i use tara labs prime m2 from the turntable to the preamp, tara air 2 from the preamp to amp, audioquest rocket 88 speaker cables, and shunyata venom power cords.

I've found the imaging of the SP16 to be quite precise and capable of a very wide soundstage. I'm at a loss as to why you would find it "too mono".

Just read your followup - sounds like speaker positioning may be your issue. Might be difficult to achieve a wide soundstage under those circumstances. Speaker positioning and proximity to walls etc will have a greater effect on imaging than (competently designed) electronics.

Yea im starting to think that even 6 feet apart is still not enough, im gonna have to live with it. Im not sure how far i should sit from the speakers.

Good imaging usually starts with a set up of a triangle. Seat perhaps 10 to 15 percent further away from the speakers than the speakers are apart from each other. An equalateral triangle is a great place to start. FWIW.