An upgrade to my current system?

It's been almost couple years since I bought my last headphone rig, I've become involved in other things, and simply didn't have the money to upgrade anything.  However, I feel the itch intensifying again and since I just started medical school and am getting myself into plenty of debt, I figured now was as good of a time as any.

Here's my current set-up:

Source:  Marantz CD5001

Amp: Singlepower PPX3 (6CG7)

Headphones: Stock Denon 2000s

One thing I am not interested in is the Markl mod to the 2000s.  I might try it in the near future, but right now I'd rather invest in new gear which excites me a lot more.  My interconnects are fine for now, but I could perhaps use a new power cord.

Finally, I'd like to look into getting a true power conditioner.  I currently use an old Monster HTS 1600, but we all know that's not a real piece of audiophile gear :p.

I've been out of touch with the headphone equipment scene since I bought this gear and it seems Singlepower has gone out of business?  I remember there were many complaints/delays/weird problems back then.  Did Mikhail decide to call it quits?

Regardless, I'd like to get an open-air set of cans, that's probably the top priority.  I'm also tempted to dabble into vinyl, so some suggestions there could be useful.  Lower on the list is a new amp and CD player.  If I went with a new amp, I'd probably look into staying single-ended for now, and I'd lean toward a solid state amplifier to get a new flavor of sound.  The Marantz continues to serve me very well, and I don't think I could find a worthy upgrade for how much I am willing to spend.

The budget for any upgrades at this point is 2000-3000 dollars, although I might just put a part of that money toward upgrades right now and then save the rest for the future, if someone has something in mind that really catches my fancy.  Note that I do NOT wish to spend this amount of money on ONE piece of equipment: I'd rather work on the system as a whole.

As a final note, I've found myself wondering where people find top-quality recordings.  Obviously with a lot of modern music, the editing is what it is and I listen to the entire spectrum of music.  I can only hope for so much out of a rap CD.  But I'd love to find some solid jazz CDs, I just don't know where to look.  Any pointers?

Thanks,

~Avo

No ideas from anyone?

Well, as I mentioned, I listen to a wide range of music.  The easiest way to describe what I listen to is by telling you what I don't listen to: country.

The Denons are solid.  I have no desire to get rid of them.  I'd say the strengths are probably the 'punch' (perhaps what some people call dynamics?) and the very forward presentation.  Weaknesses include the loose bass and perhaps the soundstage.  I have actually reconsidered getting the Markl Mod the past few days, and think I'll get that done soon.

Sorry to hear about Mikhail.  I knew there was some shady stuff going on, but I didn't realize it reached the point that he just disappeared.  The PPX3 has always served me well, no doubt.

I've been looking into turntables these past few days and it's definitely intriguing.  The investment in the records themselves is what I'm hung up on right now, but hopefully as a bit more information comes in and as I do more of my own research I'll get a better idea of how I feel about it.

I agree with the idea about picking up a new pair of headphones first - I think my current system can support a new set just fine, and obviously after getting the headphones, the subsequent upgrades will only further that.

With what I mentioned as the weaknesses and strengths of the Denons, is there a set of open-air cans that you think can improve upon the weaknesses while maintaining the strengths?  Tighter bass, in particular, would be fantastic.