Here are a few points, fof you to consider.
Your room is way bigger in terms of bass output due to the Cathederal ceiling, so a speaker with deeper bass is going to sound better.
Bass requirements in a room are based on total room volume , so a tall ceiling means you have a commensurate need for more bass output compared to a room with a shorter ceiling.
As per our Kef Blades we can get a new base but want to sell the speakers first. The base is mechanically fine but the paint on the bottom came off due to an accident.
Kef Blade vs Blade 2, Blades have considerably more bass and a bigger sound.
The issue you have if you are on the short wall is you do not have a lot of room side to side, so after some delibration I would rule out the Kef's as the side firing woofers would play havoic on the 12 foot width.
Now if you are on the long side and have 23 feet width the Kefs will work well.
Our demo room is 26 long by 20 wide with 10 foot ceilings, we are only about 8 feet away from the speakers and they work wonderfully as near field monitors.
The Uni q, coaxial driver, enables the speaker to be very coherent and eliminates issues with imaging in a less then ideal setup.
The Kefs are very transparent clean and fast, bass is prodigious and well defined.
Another point the Kefs are very narrow and look good in many rooms.
If you are near the East Coast we have a set for you to hear.
As per preamps it depends on where you want to go, Briscati is very neatural, Pass tends to sound a bit on the warm side.
Go with a BAT in your price range or the VTL they are both neautral yet are more satisfying to listen to vs the Parasound which is okay at best.
You should get the speakers first and then listen to the setup if you want warmth go Cary, if you want neutral with good soundstaging and detail go with the VTL or BAT
Hope that helps.
Dave Owner
Audio Doctor NJ