Where do I start-amp or speakers ?

I have a 13' X 28' living room but my second audio system.  I bought used Legacy Signature IIIs and have a radically modified Dyna 70 as well as an EAR 890 to drive them.  They are very efficient and easy to drive (an 18 watt Sherwood receiver is what I used to test them).  The Signature IIIs go for $1500-$2000 used and the EAR 890 goes for under $4000 used.  It is an excellent coupling (upgrade the EAR 890 with a Synergistic Research Blue fuse).  You'll save money for other upgrades such as wiring.

@bdp24 , "The speaker/room relationship is for me the most important consideration in a system, and the place to start. This is a matter of some disagreement, but there is far more difference in sound between speakers than amps in ways most important to me: truth of timbre, lack of vowel coloration, etc.

If a, say, planar speaker is chosen, different ones work better with certain kinds of amplifiers than with others. You’re not going to put a Sanders Magtech amp on the old Quad, but an Atma-Sphere S-30 or Music Reference RM-10 would be perfect. And neither of those is right for a pair of Maggies, but a Magtech is."

PERFECTLY stated.  Well done!

You always want to start with the amp. Always. In fact, the pervasive view among most “experts” I know feel that the most important part of the system is the first 6 feet out from your wall. So I’d recommend a power generator like the PS Audio P5 or P10 along with solid power cables connecting that to your outlet and source components with quality power cables connected to your P5 or P10. 

The fundamental truism pronounced over 30 years ago by Linn Sondek is still classic: “Garbage in, garbage out.”  No loudspeaker in the world can “fix” the noise that comes in from your power provider, and if your amp is cranking out dirty power any quality loudspeaker will simply deliver that signal as served up by your amp and preamp. 

^A specious argument. Sources can't fix what is contaminated by the speakers. It matters not if the contamination is at the beginning, end, or in between.  Speakers are the most colored link in the chain, and furthermore, the link most compromised by what's around it.

If you don't like your speakers then where will you be?