I think you'll get a lot more mileage out of the NAD than you would another integrated amp. It's just an amazing unit for the money.
For speakers, I'm running a C320BEE with Vandersteen 1C speakers, and they really sing. You can find the 1C for roughly $500 here, and the older 1B for as low as 300. The 1B tends to be a little more forgiving and easier to listen to, thanks to a soft tweeter, while the 1C tends to be more accurate and revealing with a metal tweeter. Either would serve you well, I think.
For speakers, I'm running a C320BEE with Vandersteen 1C speakers, and they really sing. You can find the 1C for roughly $500 here, and the older 1B for as low as 300. The 1B tends to be a little more forgiving and easier to listen to, thanks to a soft tweeter, while the 1C tends to be more accurate and revealing with a metal tweeter. Either would serve you well, I think.