Integrated Amp Choices


From numerous visits to audio stores in the BIG city 2 hours south of my place, and after listening to a couple of dozen speakers (up to $18,000) both passive and active. Our simple ears have narrowed it down to these 2 speakers (so far):
KEF R11s - https://us.kef.com/r11.html and Triangle AustraleEZs - https://www.trianglehifi.com/en/produit/hifi-floor-standing-speaker-ez-australe/ These 2 sound the best to both my wife, offer good value and both very close to each other in price.

Here are a few integrated amps (in around the $5K range) that I am considering and I was hoping the community can give their votes to which would compliment the speakers of choice (so far) the best?

https://simaudio.com/en/product/340i-x-integrated-amplifier/

https://www.anthemav.com/products-current/model=str-integrated-amplifier/page=overview

http://www.luxman.com/product/detail.php?id=2

https://www.sugdenaudio.com/anv-50-integrated-amplifier

https://www.mcintoshlabs.com/products/integrated-amplifiers/MA5300

On Sale Occasionally:

https://bryston.com/amplifiers/b1353/

https://www.marklevinson.com/products/integrated-amplifiers/MARK+LEVINSON+NO+5802.html?dwvar_MARK%20LEVINSON%20NO%205802_color=Black%20%2F%20Silver-US-Current&cgid=integrated-amplifiers

Onboard DAC is a big consideration too, so hoping for your further comments on DAC sections as well.

Prefer new or demo over used.

Thanks,
High-amp





high-amp
hi-amp -  my ATC's sound amazing! They are low sensitivity speakers (85 db) but the Anthem has no problem taking control of the drivers. Solid bass, great soundstageand and depth, Three dementional at times (with the right recording)
Also the Anthem has ARC (Anthem Room Correction) that helps a great deal to optimize the sound for your room🍻
I have a Krell K-300i 4K which I bought as a demo ($5K) paired with Kef R300 speakers along with 2 Rel subs & to my ears the sound is truly "fantastic". I also have the Kef R700's which is the generation before the R11's. The combination of Krell & Kef sounds really sweet. The DAC on the Krell is really good for an integrated amp. You can hook it up directly to a desktop or laptop & being Roon Ready the computer will recognize the Krell on Spotify & 1 click to select it & you are ready to go. Music from the computer sounds really good, similar to CD quality. I think you could enjoy many years of high quality music using the DAC in the Krell. You can also use the Krell in place of the TV speakers by running a hi-def HDMI cable from the Krell to the eArc input on the TV. The broadcast sound is really good & it often sounds like a multitude of channels is being delivered & played from just 2 speakers. I also have a McIntosh MX160 11 channel home theater system & in all honesty the Krell sounds much better for music than the MAC. Finally, over time you can consider adding 1 or 2 Rel subs as you can hook them up via the Hi-level inputs on the subs. This will further enhance the musicality & soundstage of the entire system. Overall, I really like & enjoy the Krell & highly recommend it especially if you can find one in the 5K range where it represents excellent value.