I'm a big fan of the Grant Integrated X-1, it allowed me to build a really sweet system with very few components...computer to Grand X-1 to speakers, nothing else needed. It has tons of power, I like the Sabre dac, and the X-1 is built like an army tank. Best of all, Peachtree's USB implementation in the X-1 is really well done - I get nice sound out of the USB connection.
My room is a lot like yours, very small, 10x11, so we're dealing with similar challenges.
Your ELS3 are fine speakers from what I've read, though I've never had the pleasure to listen to them. Honestly, in a room as small as yours the real obstacle is speaker placement and taming reflections. Not that you shouldn't strive for whatever transparency you hope to get, but chasing it via an amp upgrade in your price range may not yield worthwhile results. Do you love your speakers? If not, I can imagine finding something on the used market for $500-800 that may prove an upgrade. My personal strategy has always been to focus on the speakers first - make sure you love those before looking at anything else.
My room is a lot like yours, very small, 10x11, so we're dealing with similar challenges.
Your ELS3 are fine speakers from what I've read, though I've never had the pleasure to listen to them. Honestly, in a room as small as yours the real obstacle is speaker placement and taming reflections. Not that you shouldn't strive for whatever transparency you hope to get, but chasing it via an amp upgrade in your price range may not yield worthwhile results. Do you love your speakers? If not, I can imagine finding something on the used market for $500-800 that may prove an upgrade. My personal strategy has always been to focus on the speakers first - make sure you love those before looking at anything else.