Upgrade my 250 to a 1000 or go with a different integrated?

[hardcore]

And now for the sound. I feel like there is a substantial difference between the 250 and 1000. I'm hearing details in vinyl that I did not notice in the 250 and the sound stage is much more present and substantial. The 1000 also seems to have a much broader range than the 250 with regard to movies and TV.

I was considering the same upgrade: 250 Pro CI to 1000 Pro CI. Just like you, I went ahead with the upgrade.

The difference *is* substantial. I'm using large floorstanders (PSB Imagine T3), and also demo-ed with a Sonus Faber Olympica III. The changes with both speakers are similar. Tonally, the bass became tighter and the midrange brought more forward. The soundstage became a bit bigger. There is noticeably more detail, things like texture of sounds are more obvious. There is a lot more muscle to the sound, it sounds more 'powerful' and alive. The sources I tested with are Roon Ethernet and the AES XLR input (PC streamer with external USB converter). Using the stock RCA Audioquest Carbon interconnect.