Would like advice on upgrading entry level system

Hey everyone,

So I’ve finally gotten to the point that I’m ready to upgrade my entry level audio system and I’m here for some advice. 

To give you some background, 3 years ago I had a home theater setup in a medium sized loft in my home using Definitive Technology for the front stage and Atlantic Technology dipoles for surround duty all being powered by a mid level Onkyo receiver. Then downstairs in the living room I had a 2.1 setup using a Velodyne sub and Martin Logan Motion 35XTs powered by a Marantz SR5011 receiver. That system also incorporated a Parasound Z Phono preamp and a vintage Denon direct drive turntable with a Adcom HO MC cartridge that was purchased by my father-in-law when he was in college 40+ years ago. He’s extremely OCD so it was in beautiful condition with no issues or imperfections at all. That was the first system I spent any real money on, though it probably wasn’t much over $3k total even with everything being brand new other than the TT and sub.  A year went by, I got divorced and moved into a small apartment. I sold the HT setup and obviously the ex took the TT with her (along with the preamp).  Within the following year I started dating a woman that had a one year old son which was a completely new experience for me. As much as I loved having a legit stereo setup I came to the realization that it may be hard to do that with a little guy that just started walking being in the mix. All he wanted to do was go around and touch and poke stuff or push on it or climb, etc. I sold the Marantz, put the ML 35XTs in the closet and decided I would probably have to live with a sound bar until he got older. However, after trying several I just couldn’t do it. Lol. I decided to compromise and ended up settling on a Sonos Amp (which integrated well with my other Sonos speakers) and the ELAC UniFi UB5s. At only $350 for the pair I wasn’t going to be heartbroken if they got knocked over or scratched or something. It honestly worked out pretty well. 

Now fast forward to present day and I am single again. I sold the ELACs a couple months ago and currently have the Sonos Amp running the MLs. During the KEF sale I finally picked up a pair of the Black Edition LS50s. I’ve wanted to own those since hearing them back in 2014 at AXPONA. They were extremely impressive and totally obtainable from a cost perspective. Picking them up now for $900 seems like robbery. I truly can’t wait to hear them in my room. Also during the holiday sales events I picked up a SVS sub so I can get back to 2.1, which sounds like the way to go for a lot of people using the LS50s. My goal with that will just be to spend the time to integrate the two properly so they sound as good as they can in my room.  At some point I’m sure I’ll be asking for advice on achieving that. But the main thing I need right now is to figure out what integrated amp or separates to pair with the LS50s given my wants/needs and budget. I live in a smaller apartment and have a tendency to move often (about 6-7 times in the past 8 years) so simplicity and ease of transport is a huge asset. That’s one reason a stereo receiver or integrated seems quite appealing.  I need something with a digital input for my TV, which has HDMI or optical, so I can use the system for 2 channel home theater also. I will probably want to integrate this system with my Sonos network using the Sonos Connect so I’ll need a analog input for that. Also, I’ll definitely be picking up a turntable at some point this year so I’ll need a phono preamp input or another analog in. If I can find something with a built-in phono preamp that is pretty good I would much prefer that. Again, the simpler the better. However, I’m not opposed to running an external phono preamp if necessary. I haven’t gotten into streaming much other than using Air Play 2 with Apple Music, which I do use all the time. I wouldn’t mind exploring Qobuz or Tidal or Amazon HD at some point so a DAC would be nice as well. Same thing goes, where a good built-in DAC would be ideal but I’m not opposed to running an external if I have to. I have also been looking into DSP and I like the idea of trying that out for the first time. Using Dirac Live with the DDRC-24 from miniDSP seems like one of the easiest options. So, having a Preamp Out/Main In connection would probably be ideal although there may be other ways to incorporate it. If not, I can stick to room treatments and doing the best I can with speaker placement. I don’t necessarily want to compromise too much just to use DSP. Obviously whatever I get needs to have plenty of power to run the LS50s well and I want something that does them justice regarding sound quality. I realize I will probably never reach their full potential given budget and room/setup limitations but I want something to partner with them that they deserve.  

My budget at this time is probably no more than $2k for the integrated or separates gear. The sources will be a turntable (probably in the $500-$600 range), streaming services running on a iPad Pro, a Sonos Connect, and 2 channel home theater.  Some of the options I’ve considered are the Outlaw RR2160, NuPrime IDA-8, PS Audio Sprout 100, Rogue Audio Sphinx v3, NAD C388, Cambridge Azur 851A, Yamaha A-S801, Musical Fidelity M5si, and some of the separates gear from Emotiva and Parasound. But there are many other options, especially if I look at buying used equipment. 

Wow, I realize that was perhaps too much information but I wanted to give everyone enough detail to assist them in making good recommendations. I research a lot online within the different forums and I read the industry magazines. I’m definitely not uninformed or a newbie in the 2 channel world.  But there aren’t a ton of places to properly demo gear I’m interested in  where I live (Indianapolis) and I haven’t had anywhere near the personal experience with many of the brands that members on here have. So I definitely appreciate the help and I look forward to seeing what suggestions you all have. Thanks so much in advance and please let me know if there’s any other info I can provide or questions I can answer.