I've had the Primare I30 and the Plinius 9200 on the SF Cremonas. The Plinius 9200 is clearly superior, but it's not the end of the line. Personally, I'd look at a Mcintosh integrated for the SF, the highest powered one you can afford. The bigger Plinius integrated is an option, comparable to the Boulder's price, but offers more power. There's synergy with McIntosh and SF, but some find the combo too warm.
While I'd recommend bring your gear to the auditions, I'd also recommend asking the dealer to pair up the Cremonas and the V2s with what he/she thinks is the absolute best match (speaker/amp/pre/source) in the store. This will give you a better sense of what the speaker is really capable of. No need to pick a speaker that suits the Primare best if you're only going to change out the Primares later. Go with whatever you like best.
Personally, I like the V2s, but you should be able to pick out which you like when you audition. The V2s will be more transparent, but lack a bit of bass compared to the Cremonas if you don't power them adequately. Get the best and highest powered integrated for the V2s, preferably something on the warm/neutral side.
If you can go used, the old cremonas offer exeptional value and you could go separates. Getting away from an integrated opens so many doors, but the main benefit I hear is a lower noise floor, and a sense of freedom and effortlessness to the sound that really makes the extra cost worth it (especially with the inefficient speakers we're talking about here).
Avalon might be another choice. Good luck!
While I'd recommend bring your gear to the auditions, I'd also recommend asking the dealer to pair up the Cremonas and the V2s with what he/she thinks is the absolute best match (speaker/amp/pre/source) in the store. This will give you a better sense of what the speaker is really capable of. No need to pick a speaker that suits the Primare best if you're only going to change out the Primares later. Go with whatever you like best.
Personally, I like the V2s, but you should be able to pick out which you like when you audition. The V2s will be more transparent, but lack a bit of bass compared to the Cremonas if you don't power them adequately. Get the best and highest powered integrated for the V2s, preferably something on the warm/neutral side.
If you can go used, the old cremonas offer exeptional value and you could go separates. Getting away from an integrated opens so many doors, but the main benefit I hear is a lower noise floor, and a sense of freedom and effortlessness to the sound that really makes the extra cost worth it (especially with the inefficient speakers we're talking about here).
Avalon might be another choice. Good luck!