One overlooked piece of the puzzle is how well the components play with each other. Brightly voiced speakers (like your B&Ws) driven by transistor preamps and amps can be harsh and glaring. Smooth-voiced speakers like Sonus match better with transistors.
Alternatively; the McIntosh tube products are voiced much like the Sonus and together sound muted and mushy (sorry, just my opinion). However I have heard Macs driving Maggies and it was remarkably good- and I'm no fan of Macs.
So the above wasn't a direct answer to your question. Here's mine: Go to a HiFi shop or a HiFi club nearby, or to a friend's house that has good gear and give your ears the right to vote. Match strength to weakness to balance out your sound. Don't forget your listening room's demands. This will color your sound as well.