Rawchuck,
It might be a good idea to nail down what you're looking for in a speaker first then work backwards up the chain from there. Meaning, do you want/have room for floor standers? Do they require specific placement (near wall, corner, free space, etc.)? I see asthetic is important to you (and totally understandable). There are plenty of vintage and semi-vintage speakers to choose from that have an MCM look (or at least real walnut graiin) that have their fans from an audio quality standpoint. KEF 107 or 105, IMF TLS 80, and Altec Model 19 just to name a few. Some of these could eat up a sizeable chunk of your budget however. The speakers will dictate what kind of power you'll need to drive them, and to some extent what sound you're trying to pull out of them.
Minori's suggestion of Sansui integrateds is a solid one. That is one brand I would look into if you decide to go with a vintage integrated, and would give you that full, warm sound.
It might be a good idea to nail down what you're looking for in a speaker first then work backwards up the chain from there. Meaning, do you want/have room for floor standers? Do they require specific placement (near wall, corner, free space, etc.)? I see asthetic is important to you (and totally understandable). There are plenty of vintage and semi-vintage speakers to choose from that have an MCM look (or at least real walnut graiin) that have their fans from an audio quality standpoint. KEF 107 or 105, IMF TLS 80, and Altec Model 19 just to name a few. Some of these could eat up a sizeable chunk of your budget however. The speakers will dictate what kind of power you'll need to drive them, and to some extent what sound you're trying to pull out of them.
Minori's suggestion of Sansui integrateds is a solid one. That is one brand I would look into if you decide to go with a vintage integrated, and would give you that full, warm sound.