Have I got the wrong amp? or the wrong speakers?


Hi all, I'm new to the forum and a relative beginner at hifi, so please excuse the (potentially) dumb question.
In homage to my late father, and the basic, budget setup he had when I was a kid, I've recently acquired a vintage AKAI AA-1150 receiver (circa 1979 I think) and paired it with brand new Wharfedale EVO 4.2 large bookcase speakers.

Two problems - 
First, I think the speakers are waaay too sensitive for the amp - turn the volume up to 3 and the room is shaking. Taking the dial to 11 would definitely kill the Wharfedales.  My old speakers (Paradigm Atom) suffer too, but a little less.  Its definitely the amplifier!
Second, the sound is impossibly forward and bright.  Incredibly clear, with amazing detail (from both vinyl & DAC) but really hard on the ears.

Do I need to ditch the nostalgia and get a warmer, 21st Century integrated amplifier?  Or is there some setting I've missed somewhere?

All suggestions welcomed!
tavish
Try some solid core 14 gauge Romex cable for the speakers. Change the interconnect if it's a cheapo one. 
Interconnect is not cheapo at all
Speaker cable is premium copper (actually too fat for the back of the Akai)
Speakers are on wharfedale evo 4.2 stands
Maybe i could do something about the jumpers (or bi-wire the speakers...)

Thanks for the the cable-guy advice, I do believe in cables, honestly, but I don't think they're my issue right now.
Hi Miller, Russ, Steve
You got a down on receivers.
Please tell me why an amplifier coupled to a radio will have inherently poorer sound quality than a lone amplifier.

Assuming the present cables are not faulty and correctly connected, they cannot be the cause of a louder than expected signal.
The last thing those wharfedales should be is harsh on the ears....they are wharfedales and are usually a warm speaker. I'd buy the Rogue Sphinx v3 for those.
A friend had the same problem with floor standing Wharfdales using a newer mid-fi Onkyo receiver. Better electronics helped a bit but not much.