One of the best systems I ever heard was a set-up consisting AP Avanti IIIs, Herron tube preamp, Herron SS mono amps and top of the line Wadia digital front end (about 11 years ago). Never forgot it.
My thoughts:
1. Room/speaker positioning
2. Front end
3. Cabling/power conditioning
4. System synergy
If you must have new speakers, consider looking into Wilson-Benesch,