Thanks all for the comments. As tonywinga lays out the tiers, I would say that my system will be mid fi (actually as I think about it I’m pretty much a mid fi person in most respects, not a bad place to be). My intention, since as I said I am older, is to err on the somewhat more expensive side as my plan is for this to be my first and last system. I am not unaware of the “rabbit hole” possibility. When the pandemic started and I spent a good amount of time at home I started buying headphones. Three years and a dozen pairs of headphones later … .
I’ve read a lot and my thinking at the moment is to choose between the Naim Uniti Atom (thanks curtdr for the reinforcement) and the Lyngdorf NAIS 1120, the latter because it apparently has very good room correction and my system will be in a large (14’ by 37’) normally furnished living room. That introduces the frustrating ambiguity in these audio decisions: from what I’ve read the Naim will likely sound better than the Lyndorf, but everyone says the impact of the room on sound performance is enormous so that pushes me toward the Lyngdorf. But then the question is will the Lyngdorf’s room correction be sufficiently beneficial to outweigh what I understand (?) is the Naim’s superior sound quality. Further, I bough these speakers for their rich mid range and the Lyngdorf is reported to allow the speakers’ tonality to be retained while the Naim reportedly has its “own” sound. And then there’s the issue of whether both of these have sufficient power to get the most out of these speakers (the speakers’ specs are: 8 ohms; 87 db’s impedance; recommended amplifier power of 50-150 watts), and the Naim’s and Lyndorf’s power are 40 and 50 watts respectively. When you read the reviews and the comments in audio forums some say it’s not enough to optimize those speakers while others say of course they both have plenty of power and that’s not at all an issue. Then there’s the issue of my need for simplicity and ease of operation as I am not technically facile, to say the least. (Some say the Naim is very easy to operate, but they don’t know who they’re dealing with here). I think my solution to that may be to purchase one of these amplifiers and if I really find it difficult to operate easily to add a Blusound Node, which everyone says is very easy to operate, to the system. Now I know the answer tomuch of this to find the appropriate dealers and go there and listen. But then people say that the only way to really to get an accurate picture is to audition them in your own home. But as everyone here knows that’s easier said than done. Moreover, if I decide on the Lyngdorf I would buy it new, but as the Naim is more expensive I likely would buy it used so I don’t want to take a Naim dealer’s time. And finally, because I’m just not a real audiophile, maybe I’m just overthinking this and any choice would be fine. Oh boy.
Sorry for the long rant and while I know it doesn’t come across here I am actually finding this to be fun. Thanks all.