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advice on speaker matching, selection

New to the forum
Current set up:Custom built (Yaeger Audio) Freed-Williamson design tube amp rated at 25WRogue 66 preampRega 25 w/Grado Platinum 3Pioneer PD 65 through MSB Nelson Link III DACM&K S-1Bs speakers
I LOVE this amp.  It is so vintage sounding... very mellow, laid back, natural.  Obviously not a lot of power.  I live in a small apartment in a large high rise.  Therefore, I never play loud anymore.  My tastes run to jazz, classical, vocals.  I do still listen to rock (but less so).
The vintage MKs I'm running were well thought of in the day.  Unfortunately, I don't think their sensitivity is sufficient to be powered by 25W.  While the MKs are neutral and cast a wonderful sound stage, I'm not getting enough bass, nor inner detail/placement of the musicians in space.

As all of us know in this hobby, avoiding "going sideways" in the next purchase is paramount.
So... looking for opinions of stand mounted or SMALL floor standing speakers to enliven this rig and tastes.  Budget: $1-1.5K.  Thanks for your wisdom and experience in advance.  Peace 

philfoster
philfoster OP
5 posts
 
I am very grateful for all the suggestions and expertise.  I guess by way of clarification: I'm more of a music lover and vinylholic than an audiophile.  At 70, and on a fixed income now, I'm hoping to make one more adjustment to the rig... and that would definitely be speakers.  While the MKs have a generous soundstage, the depth isn't there (again, a 12x12, dual purpose, living/listening room).  Imaging isn't as crisp as I'd like, and then there is the bass which, while fairly articulate and natural, isn't very present at all. 

Thoughts on ELAC (which schurbert mentioned... model?), B&W 606 s2, SVS Prime, others?  I have the ProAcs on my list of auditions (gotta brave 50 miles of ATL traffic to meet a new dealer), but finding another $500-1K is a real stretch.  So I continue to collect data here (and from my local, true audiophile buds) in what will be a lengthy process. 

Again, my gratitude to all.  Happy listening!
philfoster OP
5 posts
 
Silverline Preludes??? A bit of a stretch at $2K, but...
jc4659
550 posts
 
The M&K's were designed to be used with their subwoofer but since you live in an apartment this might not be a good idea.  I have owned the satellite 1A's and volkswoofer A ~35 years ago and drove them with a 40W/ch NAD integrated with lots of headroom.  Those speakers were awesome and could really boogie.
jc4659
550 posts
 
As an afterthought, if you really like the M&K's but just want to boost the low end why not consider a Schiit Loki+ for $150.  It's a basic equalizer and may be the least expensive way to tailor the sound to your liking.
philfoster OP
5 posts
 
The MKs really are pretty sweet, especially considering they're 35+ years old now.  Not a sub guy, though, especially in my apartment building.  I've enjoyed my time with them, and someone else will appreciate them for what they are.  My hunch is the NAD integrated was a great pairing.  My little-watt valve amp doesn't have the oomph, and the MKs don't have the refinement to respond to the amp.  My guess.  Hence, the speaker quest.
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