Good 2 channel integrated amplifier for 702 s2 under 3k?

Might check out the Vincebt SV-237 integrated. Sold by Audio Advisor. A hybrid having tube preamp and SS amplifier.

Lots of strong options at your pricepoint, esp used (amps perhaps an esp, good bet, on second hand market).  Again, being clear on needed power and features will narrow the huge field.

With blackbag20 on Odyssey, if you want some power.  Had a Stratos Dual Mono for some time that I regret selling (I'm not sure what I would do with it, since I'm now a lower power guy, but it was just that nice.)
Klaus is a nice and helpful guy, and could work with you on upgrades which would still have you well within budget.  Fun project, but might take some time.

the Lyngdorf TDAI 1120 would fit the bill..  I have one paired with some monitor audio gold bookshelf speakers and the combo is not harsh or too bright.. excellent streaming amp and highly flexible including option for home theater use.. the digital processing and sound from the Lyngdorf products is superb.. I have been won over by this integrated amp.. it’s not a brand you’ll hear in this forum a lot but worth a look 👍🏼..

Hegel!

Hi km1181,

I recently purchased a last gen model, the B&W CM9 S2. I started using the B&W with my Peachtree integrated and didn't experience any harsh highs. However, when I moved my existing KEFs to the home theater room to run with a current Sony 5.1 receiver, the KEFs became very harsh to my ears. The KEF Q150s are a net upgrade over the $60/pair Polk I was using in that space, but the Polks didn't sound harsh at all. The harshness is so bad, I seriously think about going back to the Polks. But I will more than likely upgrade to a nicer receiver or pre/pro w amp to see if I can tame the harshness in that system. 

Some of my takeaways are: (1) synergy is important; (2) Polk actually did a fantastic job voicing their entry level bookshelves to match the electronics that people would most likely pair them with; (3) the KEFs and B&W really can be harsh like people say. 

The OP in this other thread also complained of harshness for his B&W (https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/best-lower-end-cables-for-b-w-speakers). The OP there was hoping to solve the issue with new speaker cables. I pointed out that the likely culprit for him was the home theater receiver, not the speaker cables. 

So, assuming that our B&W models are sufficiently similar, I think a Peachtree integrated would make a good match for your speakers. Besides my experience matching B&W and Peachtree, there are a few technical reasons the two would be a good match theoretically. First, I've read that B&W likes very clean, low noise, SS equipment. Peachtree is those things. Second, many B&W speakers have a large impedance swing across the frequency spectrum--3ohm to 8ohm if I recall. And Peachtree in their marketing material state that their equipment handles a very wide range of impedance loads. Third, the newer Peachtree Nova's have a home theater bypass, which would be useful since you're looking to run surround in the future--good with your upgrade path. Fourth,  Peachtree amps have lot of watts, which is considered to be ideal for movies.

All TVs that I know have an optical output for audio. If you're running optical from a TV into an external DAC, I highly recommend a reclocker of some kind. I use an iFi Spdif reclocker in my stereo system between the streamer and DAC. It made one of the biggest differences in my system. I can't underscore the difference it made enough. I imagine a reclocker will be just important when connecting to a TV via optical.