everything sounded great until the upgrade

@larryi 

it's all in the comments now, Marantz 2252B --> Musical Fidelity A3.2

Dynaudio Evoke 20

My initial hope was that things would get better not worse, So the improvements you are suggesting (all great ones) are "me working for the amp and not the amp working for me" :) if it makes sense. But I will get up my butt and play with the placement. 

   I   loved the sound of my modest system, until I upgraded my amp. 

It seems you answered your own question - trust your ears and first impressions.

Take it from someone who has gone down the rabbit hole of trying to accommodate the one thing about my system that didn’t sound great to me.  In my case it was a pair of large speakers that many said were great-sounding speakers.  After about 3 years and too much money I finally replaced them - problem solved.  In the end, the simple solution was best.

You went from a vintage receiver to a modern integrated that’s quite the sea change. I’d say give it some time maybe a week or two of constant play then throw the Marantz back in the system and see how it compares. You may find it sounds muddy and slow then again you may not. Good luck!

There has been an evolution, among the majority of brands, toward more and more “detailed” sound that means a leaner sound with less upper bass (that bass obscures higher frequency detail).  It seems to be what most buyers want.  If you are in the minority, you have to either look for vintage gear or the brands serving outliers.  I happen to like a warmer sound, which is why I favor low-powered tube gear from certain brands, such as Audio Note and Synthesis, and solid state from the likes of First Watt.