I would not bother with upgrading your AVR as long as everything works and you are not missing a "gotta have it" feature. Wait until something happens to require replacement.
The 7002 is a quality AVR with high quality DAC's, there have been no major breakthroughs in DAC technology since the 7002 was made. Upgrading for new DACs makes no sense!
Other than stuff like Audyssey or different processing modes (which are designed to change the sound), the difference between any two AVR's is truly minute compared to the differences between any two speakers.
If pro reviewers told the truth and just said "this sounds just like dozens of other AVRs in this price range, it does a good job of cleanly amplifying the signal and has good flexibility to accommodate various modes (such as DTS) and good RoomEQ capability" people would get tired of reading them, and they would be out of work. Consequently, they make up BS. I won't say there is no difference, but I will say if all tone processing is bypassed (direct mode) I have never experienced enough change in sound to grab my attention.
Speakers on the other hand have always provided distinct sounds, IME.
Spend as much time as you can auditioning speakers, that is where your time and $$$ should be invested.
If you like your current Paradigms for HT, definitely keep the backs and surrounds - there is not that much content that is played through them, and the Paradigms you have do a fine job with it.
I wish I had more familiarity with what you have available in Canada. I think SVS ships up there, but don't know if they have their free trial set up for Canadians (they pay return shipping if you don't like, so it is free to listen to them for 45 days in your room) - that is the way to really pick a speaker.
If this is an option for you, I would recommend you try the SVS Ultra towers - two main reasons:
1) They should fit around your $3000 Cdn immediate budget. I have heard the Ultra Bookshelf and it is a very pleasant speaker. I expect the Tower will be similar plus bass.
2) These speakers offer pretty solid bass. Here are the CEA data for the Ultra Towers (from Sound and Vision):
Bass output, tower (CEA-2010A standard)
• Ultra-low bass (20-31.5 Hz) average: 105.3 dB
20 Hz 85.6 dB
25 Hz 97.6 dB
31.5 Hz 113.2 dB
• Low bass (40-63 Hz) average: 121.4 dB
40 Hz 119.1 dB
50 Hz 119.8 dB
63 Hz 124.3 dB
Read more at
http://www.soundandvision.com/content/test-report-svs-ultra-tower-surround-speaker-system-page-3#iXys3d9BeAo0sCFb.99
I think it is important that you try some towers with good bass because I am a little concerned that your subs might not keep up for music with this speaker upgrade. Maybe I am reading too much between the lines, but when I look at the Audioholics review of your sub, I am concerned that their listening session had
no music. This is the first time I've noticed a sub review that did not have both music and HT content. Furthermore, all comments were about the depth and power of the PB12-Plus. No comments about articulation. Conspiracy theorist that I am, I have to wonder if they didn't just decide to step around the issue of less than perfect performance for music so as to maintain a good working relationship with one of their major advertisers. No doubt, from the review, the PB12 Plus is an excellent (maybe outrageous?
) sub for HT!
http://www.audioholics.com/subwoofer-reviews/svs-pb12-plus-2/page-5
If you compare the Ultra towers (or any other speaker that has enough bass to stand alone for music content) by themselves against the Ultra's crossed (I'd try 60Hz) to your subs, you can find out for certain. If you find the clarity of mid-low bass frequencies is lost with your subs, you need to find full-range speakers so the sub is only used for the LFE of home theater; IOW, not music. If this is the case, the Triad Silver would be a very bad choice since their FR starts at 80Hz and you would be very much forced to rely on the sub.
Aside from the bass experiment, will you like the Ultra Towers? Only you can decide that. But having them in your home for a few weeks is a great way to decide. If you like them, consider the Ultra Bookshelf for the center (the Ultra center does not seem to sound so good) and call it done.
Your budget of $8000 Cdn looks like it is around $5600 US. That is a good sum. I would forget everything else and look at some higher priced speakers. A pair of Paradigm S6's would give you good articulate bass and excellent performance all-around. They may push your budget, but perhaps as a Cdn company you get better pricing and you should be able to negotiate some on the price.
Fundamentally, the final decision is left to your ears. Personally, I want a more forward sounding (bright, but not too bright) speaker for HT than for music. For me, the Signature Series has the right character to work very well for both.
