I guess this is where I disagree with your logic. Ultimately, it all comes down to what you consider to be "better" sound. I agree that a higher end turntable will bring out some detail from a recording that a lesser turntable may not retrieve, but how much extra detail does a $5,500 setup bring out over a $1,500 setup? Surely not that much more.
I believe that enjoyment of music is about much more than just the details. The overall tonality, the fullness of the sonic spectrum, the size of the soundstage. All of these things play into the enjoyment of a particular audio setup. I firmly believe that a pair of Summits or Vantages in your setup with a $1,500 turntable, would produce a better overall sound and a higher quality listening experience, albeit less detailed, than your $5,500 rig with the Clarities.
This is just my opinion and I understand that you have a different one, which is why you have made the decisions that you have. I fully respect that and I don't mean to demean your choices. I think you have assembled an excellent system. If and when you do decide to upgrade your speakers, I have no doubt you will be able to draw every last ounce of detail from them that they are capable of producing.
Ultimately, I guess I just differ with you on the importance of the source vs. the transducers as far as a percentage of the overall system budget. I think you get much more bang for the buck by spending more on preamp/amp combo and speakers than on the source component.
It is kind of a chicken or egg sort of thing. On the one hand, you believe a higher quality speaker cannot replay information that a lower quality source isn't able to retrieve; On the other hand, I believe that a lower quality speaker isn't even able to accurately replay all of the information that is coming from a lower quality source, so what good is feeding it more information from a higher quality source. Until you have a transducer that is capable of rendering all of the dynamics, tonal range and soundstage presented by a less expensive source, why upgrade to a more capable source?
OK, I have beat this thing to death and I apologize for hijacking the thread. I am not trying to prove my point because I don't think there is any point to be proved. My logic doesn't make any more sense than your logic -- they are just different ways of looking at the same thing. I am really just interested in having the discussion and in understanding other people's perspectives. I appreciate you sharing your opinions and listening to mine.
