Starting from scratch and say $5000

I was thinking of trying some mono blocks but not entirely opposed to go with an integrated either. Not sure how long I will be in the lively 20x25 room or if we will have a party room in future space but assuming I'll end up with monitors on stands with possibly subs later (never used one, but I get it). I definitely don't like brightness and I'll take anemic but clean bass over boomy any day (prefer my 90s acoustic suspension small Infinity bookshelves to ported versions in same size)--which is why I would not be opposed to adding a sub one day. 

The ample power of the Mc has been eye-opening. But also intrigued by class D. Can't even decide if I want fish, meat, or just entrees! I'm that guy who can't decide on dinner then regrets choice....although anything suggested here on the forum will be a step up from my Sonos amps and vintage japanese stuff which is better than Pyle, but nowhere near a modern amp I would think. Or the Mc. I'm leaning towards cashing out on that but lost about what would be a worthy/economically responsible choice to replace it

I'll put the Yamaha on the list for sure. The speakers probably push the short-term size limits and serious dent in budget, but the speaker:amp ratio is noted.

I'm just looking for a starting point, really. Would love to spend less if it is doable, but had just finished perusing the speaker threads where speakers alone were over 10k (!). 

those m700s are a good place to start a list. thanks

well that Lyngdorf 2170 certainly looks interesting, since I have been streaming for a long time and moving more in that direction. I guess it also raises the whole DSP thing too. That's what is nice about starting from scratch, can explore newer tech

got it. btw, the links to harbeth and spendor on your site need to be updated (dead end now)

no HT for now and leaning to stand-mounts. still in single family home but approaching down-sizing so it will never be a huge room and unlikely an apartment either. I'm not a subwoofer type of listener so that would be way down the line. I'm thinking neutral to warm over resolving. I'm approaching 60 but still hear pretty well and even bothered by excessively noisy rooms/ restaurants/beaming. Definitely sensitive to brightness.

thanks nonoise, but I had already done that search and my search like yours (at least my results) shows the us distributor but does not list the dealers. and the toneimports page did not show dealers either. but thanks for the link to them

Those Revivals look nice. Not clear how to get one's hands on them since there is no dealer list for USA. I am near New Orleans. Plenty of home theater type places but limited for audio so far. I guess I just started looking, but that is the impression so far. and pretty typical/expected. I don't need a guy to install plasma tvs....

just recently re-connected analog sources (cheap cd/turntable/tuner) but likely to stick to most common source of streaming currently handled by analog Sonos out. I have toyed with pc streamer idea, trying to consolidate gear for long term. I do miss and have enjoyed pulling out a cd but going through process of making sure they are all lossless ripped before I can the old iMac or use it as music server (that it has done fine with sonos for 15 years, but yeah, long in the tooth). I guess that enters the discussion too, how badly am I going to hang on to an FM tuner. I am lucky now to be able to pick up the digital signal of WWOZ New Orleans and the classical WWNO.

forgot to add that sonos had digital out and same for even the cheap cd transport so a dac may be in future, either in an audio component (pre-amp or direct-to-amp) or as part of pc rebuild. Even downgraded by the over air old radios and dacs in the sonos, Tidal or Radio Paradise hi rez audio sounds pretty darn good compared to old mp3 compression. 

is the recommendation of an integrated by a couple of you reflecting a little value by combining 2 into one box? as in some integrateds might outperform separates at the same price point? I get the convenience and maybe aesthetic value of that, just curious. I guess it is silly to worry about monoblocks if I still don't know the sensitivity for the eventual speakers. The AR208s playing now are certainly not horrible, especially now that they have the Mc power to drive the ported 8" woofer properly

that's reason enough for me @grislybutter . 1 reason I had the monos in mind was in case I stuck with more traditional i.e. heavy amps. The class D M700 pair mentioned above in thread piqued my interest.

just for amusement purposes, is there any reason to play with diy class D modules? or speaker kits? I get the impression one can save money and get pretty good but that is at the expense of time obviously and while i have diy'd my way through everything in life, not sure I really want to spend it tinkering when one can get polished and aesthetically pleasing results for somewhat reasonable prices. I have noticed the surrounds on the old ARs looking a little dry and crispy and blowing alot more air these days. I guess surround repair makes more sense than driver replacement but there's that.

lots of really good help/info here; thanks. I might have to spend some more time in the speaker section of the forum because it looks like the surrounds on the old ARs are definitely failing, so maybe I should stick with the consensus and start with some speakers that go well enough with the Mc gear and then go from there when the downsizing gets more official. Still like the idea of "start from scratch" though because it will force me to decide on inputs, etc. 

I guess it is a silly question in the amps/pre-amps area, but how many people really use the active speaker route? seems ok short term and good for people minimizing gear, but bit of a tradeoff in flexibility and long term issues

@panzrwagn you make some good points. tough shopping indeed. The trend is definitely towards integrated and interesting that some electronics big brands (Technics, Yamaha, Marantz) have made the list. Nice that this has been a really productive discussion for me so far, bringing into focus what decisions have to come first. exactly what I had hoped. hard part still ahead. thanks to all

really appreciate the continued suggestions, thanks to everyone. Feel like a kid in a candy shop, so many good choices.

curious @mofojo  why being into vinyl gets an "otherwise" for the Lyngdorf?