Speaker recommendations for NAD

Last year, I helped a friend put together a budget system around the NAD C372 integrated amp and an Onix CD player. (We used the more powerful C372 as opposed to the C352 because my friend wanted the ability to drive a second pair of outdoor speakers with the amp.) We paired the NAD integrated amp with PSB Image B25 monitors and the sound is excellent - warm and non-fatiguing just as Xlr_rca described above with respect to the Wharfedale monitors. We used the Speltz Anti-Cable speaker cables and interconnects.

The PSB speakers offer very good sound at a bargain price. If I recall correctly, I believe the Image B25 monitors retail for just under $500/pr.

I would agree with Jhold that for your situation that you would do best with a "sealed box design", unfortunately, there not many "sealed box" speakers in the price range that you seek. 2nd choice would be a "front-ported design". If you get a "rear-ported design" do realize that you'll have to use some "plugs" in the port to help tame the over prominent "fat and muddy" bass. You might want to see if there is anyway possible to put "whatever" speakers you get on stands 2 or 3 feet out into the room, as that will give you not only a better sonic presentation, but also more choices in your speaker selection.

I run an NAD C325BEE with KEF bookshelf speakers, which use a front port, and for a while had my gear set up in a layout very similar to what you describe. They worked great. My listening tastes run much the same as yours, and I find KEF speakers do well where it counts: female vocal and pianos sound spot-on, so just about everything else does, too. A bonus is that because of their Uni-Q driver (the tweeter is mounted in the center of the woofer) they image extremely well even with non-ideal placement. I find them a bit less forward than Epos and B&W, and I like that about them.

Mine are the Q15, an old model, but I've heard newer models higher in the range--excellent. Their iQ3 runs about $500 online and the XQ1 (in a higher tier) runs $800-$1000. The iQ9, though it's a floorstander, has lately gotten some rave reviews, and the bookshelf models are cut from the same cloth. If you can find older KEF Reference series models on Audiogon or elsewhere, they're wonderful.

Paradigm Studio 20 v.3, front ported should sound good. I had a pair of Studio 40 v.3's with NAD. It was a good match for the price point. You should easily find a pair used within your budget.