Speakers Needed: Audiophile Taste - Low Budget

Getting Vandersteens 1B or 1C is the great idea if you can stretch some room for them. Also check out Totem Arro that are tiny-tiny but the slam and the music realy can come out from them. Their new price is a-bit more than $1k but used you can get for $700.
Do your search and enjoy the music!

02pete,
I was using with my Vands Creek 4330R amp(45W/ch) and Marantz CD67SE player.
I felt that the bass isn't controlled but for the money spend the clarity and stage were incredible. If I would go for budget amp with greater power I would not think that it would improve the sound. Later-on I switched to Bryston 3b-st/Bryston 11b combination and realized that these speakers do benefit from power but stretching a budget for the "quality watts" is needed more than for "quantity watts"
I heard many times Vands 1c with tubes and the key thing of these speakers is musicality: soft bass(that actually never goes tight), clear highs but not bright and soft midrange and there is nothing you can do to make the bass tight on these speakers efen if you bring some 300W/ch amp.

The best upgrade for these speakers I would suggest getting a 2Wq subwoofer leaving the rest of your electronics unchanged

As for CD-players I would say that the maximum price point where you should look for it is arround $1k but not more for the new piece and used arround $500.

To finalize I can say that Vandys 1C or 1B are truly be champions on budget or beginers setups.