Amp question with size constraints


I am in the process of looking to upgrade my amplifier (presently a Rega Brio R), but I am faced with size constraints: given the built-ins I have, I cannot really go much beyond 13 inches in depth. The trouble of course is that better amps tend to be larger in size. 

To add another wrinkle, I primarily listen to vinyl (via custom Linn Sondek TT w/ MC cartridge and Fyne floorstanders). I've seen positive reviews of smaller Cambridge and NAD integrated amps, but they tend to focus on the digital side of things. What I'm wondering is whether an integrated amp with my size constraints would work well with my setup for vinyl, or alternatively if there is a good power amp within that scale that I could just pair with a decent phono preamp. 

I am not married to any particular approach but am not really sure which way to go at this point. Help me, Obi-Wan, etc.

polanskyd

@polanskyd I like the way you expressed your open mind about your predicament.

Are you married to a woman (or dude? Lol) that's going to complain about the amount of money you need to spend to make your approach work for you?

I know there are probably plenty of purists around here that'll scoff at your idea of not achieving what you're looking for using separates, but I bet if you got a nice enough one it would float your boat.

I had assumed that Class Ds would be a step down though that increasingly seems to be a prejudice.

It is, but started from class D amps being poorly executed 10-20 years ago. Things have improved- class D amps are now able to sound as good as the best class A amps whether tube or solid state.

@tunefuldude my wife is fairly cool about the expense -- i think she mainly would prefer me not to radically rearrange our living room, hence some of my space constraints.

For myself, I had envisioned spending between 5-7k on upgrading my amp situation, which would be relatively in line with existing components. 

The other thing is that being in the People's Republic of Canada, the outlay on the AGDs (pre and power together) will probably end up being closer to 13k, but it still looks like the class-D is the way to go. Perhaps the Goldnotes...