Helping a friend build a new system


A good family friend has recently retired and is looking to build a system for his home office. He used to own a nice sound system some 25 years ago but hasn't been actively pursuing the hobby. He was visiting my home a few weeks ago and I guess listening to my system must have inspired him to finally build a new one. He asked me to help set up a new system (new to him, he's willing to buy used). I asked him a bunch of questions to find out what he wants and how much he is willing to spend. His responses are summarized below:

1. Budget -- since he's retired he wants to keep the total system budget to around $7-8K (including cables)
2. Components Needed -- bookshelf speakers, integrated amp, cables. He already has a CD player which would do for now, but he might get into streaming later on. He owns a few hundred CDs.
3. Room size -- around 10x12 with 10 foot ceilings. Fully carpeted with some furniture.  
4. Music genres -- jazz, blues, vocals (he's a big fan of Frank Sinatra, Chet Baker, Billy Holiday, etc.), and R&B
5. Listening preferences -- he is looking for an 'intimate' and cozy experience and wants to try tube amps with high sensitivity bookshelf speakers. He mostly listens at a moderate volume and can be sensitive to high frequencies.

He also mentioned that he has some hearing loss since he's in his early 60s and suffers from a mild case of tinnitus. I'm not sure if this plays a role in the choice of components but I thought it's worth mentioning just in case.

I will really appreciate it if you guys can provide some pointers. Please remember that he is retired so $8k is absolutely the max he can do. System synergy is important. And, please no Tekton or class D recommendations. He really wants to try some affordable tube gear as a starting point.

128x128arafiq
@yogiboy Thanks for mentioning ATC. I remember listening to ATCs a few years ago, and I walked away with the impression that they were more on the neutral, cool side of things. It could have been a combination of other factors, but at least that's what I remember about them.

@kennyc -- We still have about $3 - 3.5K left for the speakers. Since my friend has asked for an intimate, cozy listening experience, I did not want to lead him down the floorstanders path. I always feel that smaller speakers do a much better job of disappearing and creating the intimate sound that he is looking for. His room is fairly small, but we can always add a sub down the line if the need arises.
I have owned many Harbeth and Spendor speakers. This Spendor 4/5 seems like the kind of speaker that your friend might be looking for. It is warmer sounding than the Harbeth P3ESR! 
https://generubinaudio.com/shop/ols/products/spendor-classic-45
Small space, small speakers. KEF LS50. Amp? Macintosh MA 252. That leaves $2k for source and cables. I use Pangaea stands with my LS-50s. Very happy. Marantz CD6007 is is great CD player. And he can add a Rega 3 or a Project if he wants vinyl.
I have a similar sized room, and wanted speakers that could be placed 1 foot from the front wall. Would advise a sealed or front ported speaker. I went with a Vandersteen VRL CT standmount speaker and I’m very happy. Have a Vandersteen Sub3 subwoofer with it, and a solid state integrated amp (Belles Aria Signature). The VRL CT have decent low end that benefits from its proximity to the wall, and a sub could be added later. ATC is a good suggestion, though the Vandersteen and ATC are not very efficient, and would probably benefit from the tube wattage of a Rogue Cronus Magnum tube integrated to make them sing, offer some dynamic headroom. 
I think ProAc, DeVore 3XL and Fritz are great suggestions for the VTL integrated. I gave serious consideration to Fritz. 
My 2 cents
Small speakers are generally harder to drive. It may be good to look at small floorstanders also. Fyne are for example easy to drive.