Utopia Micros + Sub vs. Utopia Divas vs. Merlin

Hello,

This is my first post and my first foray into the home audio world. Everything I know about 2 channel systems I've learned in the last two weeks reading hundreds or thousands of posts here. I'm building my first system for a carpeted room that is 13x18 with an 8' ceiling where the speakers have to be placed against the long wall and no farther than 3 feet from the wall behind. I listen to singer songwriter stuff (Jack Johnson), acoustic leaning indie rock (Shins, My Morning Jacket), some pop (the Fray, Corinne Bailey Rae), and a little classical. I only am interested in CDs.

I have a deal working for a McIntosh MC352 and MCD201 cd player, which will also act as a pre-amp.

I can only afford used speakers--Micros and VSM-MMs seem to be in the $4K range; Divas more but the difference is about the same as a sub--looking at the ACI Titan.

Given this approximately $5K-$6K speaker budget, would you recommend the Utopia Micro Be + a sub, the Utopia Divas, or the Merlin VSM-MMs?

Can I even run a sub without a dedicated preamp?

Thank you very much for your input.