Pairing Bookshelf Speakers to my Yamaha A-S801

KEF LS50 with a subwoofer is also a good option. I have the LS50W meta in my bedroom system, and my son has the LS50. We both enjoy them a lot! The Absolute Sound gave a great review of the Yamaha A-S801 back in 2016, using the LS50 with a subwoofer. You can get the LS50 on sale for around $1299 or less, leaving you a budget of around $700 for the sub. I use and like the SVS SB1000 pro, but there are many good subs in that price range, including KEF and REL.

OP do a little research before considering ANYTHING with METAL drivers!
 Do a Google search for "speakers with natural organic tone"...Opinion after opinion will show you a common theme that if you want relaxed,organic & natural warmth,you want a speaker with wood pulp/paper,Carbon Fiber or Kevlar mid bass drivers & textile(silk)tweeters...Think about real musical instruments..Have you EVER heard a metal instrument(horns,flutes a Dobro guitar, etc..)that have natural warmth?NO,they are brash,etched & in your face,There is a REASON violins,cellos,guitars etc.are made of WOOD!!!
 

These are some great recommendations - I appreciate it. 
 

I had not heard much of the Yamaha/Kef lore. Very interesting. I have a pair of KEF reference speakers from the 70s that are in a state of disrepair. The woofers are fine but the tweeters sound terribly off. I don’t really have a positive or negative opinion about them as I haven’t really heard any other than my broken ones. I do like the look of the LS50s @acguo - really beautiful stuff. 

I also hadn’t really considered Sonus Faber. I haven’t listened to any in truth, but they certainly look fantastic and the specs seem impressive. That’s a good shout thanks! 

Many of my audio colleagues have referenced being around for The Tweeter Days(TM). A part of me thinks about hifi of many moons ago in romantic terms (having never experienced them). Then I think better of it as I remember how incredibly good components and speakers have gotten. 
 

I should add more detail about the system for reference:

All components are wired with audioquest, including the video sources (the Apple TV, BRP, and sometimes a computer, are routed through an hdmi switcher).

The speakers, ironically, are wired with clear jacketed rip chord. I know, I know. This will change eventually. They are bi wired atm. 

The speakers are on a custom piece of wood furniture. They are not sat on it wood-to-wood, so to speak. They have small feet put on by the previous owner. I’d call it a couple millimeters height off the top of the cabinet. Stands are ideal, I agree - but the space doesn’t really allow for it. 
 

A sub is definitely in the cards, but I’d rather spend the cash on the bookshelves initially, and then save up for a nicer sub. I was thinking something from JL. Do you guys have any personal experience with their subs? 
 

@nicholsr I like their business philosophy! 

@freediver would you consider the aluminum/alloy ribbon voice coil in a ribbon tweeter to be a disqualifying factor? I actually quite like the sound of Monitor Audio’s platinum line rt. I actually got to hear the current gen PL300s paired with the A-S801, oddly enough - and with a D’Agostino Momentum Preamp/Mono amps rig. Obviously the latter being grossly out of my budget lol but a cool experience nonetheless. 

Not nearly as in-your-face sounding as some of the cheaper rts I’ve heard, even through the much cheaper Yamaha. 

Edit: I recall now that it was the previous gen PL300s.