Biggest impact: moving from integrated to separates

The Mac c47 is a good piece, I actually own one. A benefit you also get a decent DAC and an "ok" phono. I'd love to hear about a comparison of it vs your Pass phono. : )

I bet you can find a dealer within an hour or 2 that has a c47 you can in home demo. Also try the find a dealer section on the pass website, you might have someone closer than you think who carries something like an xp-10. I found a pass dealer 40minutes from my house this way recently.

Keep your eyes open for one of those small VACs I sent, that will destroy all these. 

On the cheap.. https://www.amazon.com/SVS-SB12-NSD-400-watt-Controlled-Subwoofer/dp/B009F8Y7SO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&a...

Given you can use your Cronus as an amplifier and it mates well with your current speakers I agree that you should look for a line stage preamp at this point.  

I'm in the camp of @robd2 and @missioncoonery

I think part of the feeling regarding the superiority of separates reflects a lack of integrateds on the same level.  The majority of integrated amplifiers on the market fall into the entry level of a manufacturer's lineup.  I've owned upper echelon separates, and certainly understand how strongly those components perform, and still own some of them.  However, in the end, the combination of musicality, control, muscle, and sweetness of my Jadis DA60 integrated has brought me the most happiness of any amplification I've found.  And the convenience of everything sitting on a single chassis and the nullification of purchasing another set of interconnects, a power cord, and the matching of the two components synergistically certainly doesn't make life any more difficult