"...ML's and tubes sound lovely. I tried my Quicksilver Mono 60s with them and they were great; QS Mono 120's would be good..."
The ML Electromotion ESLs are not that hard to drive and I have driven mine quite well with QS Mini Monos, AES six pacs, a Prima Luna integrated (using that now), and also a big Mac MC402. The tubes are the best, the MLs are toward the bright side so an all tube setup really works well. For you the best budget system would be your Shitt pre and a pair of QS 60 watt Monos. Add a sub and you'll be happy for a long time.
The ML Electromotion ESLs are not that hard to drive and I have driven mine quite well with QS Mini Monos, AES six pacs, a Prima Luna integrated (using that now), and also a big Mac MC402. The tubes are the best, the MLs are toward the bright side so an all tube setup really works well. For you the best budget system would be your Shitt pre and a pair of QS 60 watt Monos. Add a sub and you'll be happy for a long time.