Full circle and thinking about speakers

You eliminate lots and lots of wonderful speakers by sticking to some arbitrary made up sensitivity numbers....my wharfedale 225’s are only 87db, my tannoy legacy eatons, only 89db. They both sound wonderful. Amps are the Marantz pm14s1 @ 90 watts, and Sugden Signature A21se @ 30 watts (single ended pure class A). The marantz is/was used with the above 225’s when they were set up. The Sugden is currently used to drive the tannoys with wonderful results. Amazing how powerful only 30 watts can sound. Yes, at 87db, I’m sure the 225’s may not sound their best, but they sure responded to the 90 watt Marantz, which is a terrific integrated. It is in fact the last of the class a/b reference amps made by Marantz, as they have seemingly adopted class D for their topology on current designs (the ruby, the pm10, and the new model 30).
Buy the speaker you like, then buy the amp to match/drive said speaker. There are only a handful of 95db and above available, if you like the looks of teckton (i do not). The klipsch are ok, although some say too bright/fatiguing after long listening.....the zu line of speakers also offer high sensitivity, as well as devore.

For a killer system, I would recommend you buy a pair of wharfedale lintons @90 db, and a Rogue Sphinx v3 integrated @ 100 watts class D/tubed hybrid. About $3000 for both the amp and speakers, and that includes the stands! Most likely the best bang for the buck set up i can think of.

Rogue Sphinx v3 $1595
Wharfedale heritage lintons $1499 per pair (with stands) $1199 w/o stands.
Read the review of the lintons at Tone Audio, they love tubes!

LOL  too funny - now I'm thinking of moving.
Great responses and I'm taking a step back.I agree with getting the front end settled first, room treatment and getting the speakers located on the short wall. I just don't know how yet - this wall is glass and opens to a balcony overlooking the Hudson River and the Palisades.
I haven't been able to find B&W spikes so yesterday I went to the hardware store and bought some M6 bolts and decoupled the speakers from the floor - BIG difference.
Yes the speakers have been moved off the front wall - inching forward
The other thing I am considering is my coffee table. Silly me... It consists of two flat files, filled with drawings and it weighs a ton. I have to believe this is soaking up a lot of sound.
And to Tom's point about the DAC - it is one of the cheaper Schitt DAC's, a Modi 2 and I have every intention of replacing it.
@inna I think the Ear phono stage will tell me a lot and I can hardly wait for it to arrive -  The Nottingham is sort of like having a Ferrari parked in the driveway and not knowing where the keys are..... 
All said  - this has been a great journey. Thanks everyone.

Everything mwinkc said about Magnepans is true and millercarbons rant against speakers below 92 db is pathetic. Yes, you need power to drive Magnepans, but when you have it, few speakers image or do dynamics as well. You'll also want a sub to enhance the bass. But just as important, if you care about money, is that Maggies sound better than any other speakers in the same price range. They are definitely considered a bargain. I bought a pair of Magnepan 20.1s on Audiogon (originally $12,000) for $5,500 and I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

Maggies do a lot of things right. But anybody who says they do dynamics has never really heard a speaker that truly does do dynamics well. Sorry, but that’s really inarguable. I understand why people love them, I did too at one time. But that’s not their forte.

Conventional wisdom is to settle on the speakers you like first, and then get an amp well capable of driving them.

Someone mentioned ProAc Response 2.5's a while ago.  They are phenomenal speakers, remarkable bass extension for size, really superlative performers.  Find a good used pair and you could be very happy.  And... they are easy to drive.