Home stereo/audio system, amp + bookshelf front speakers + surround

G'day all, looking for a system to fit in a smallish lounge room without taking up too much space.

Old system: I want to replace my Kenwood KRF-V5050D which I've hated since I bought it 10 years ago to replace a dead but otherwise much better noname amp. I don't think the Kenwood meets its spec or maybe there's something else about its sound that never agreed with me. I already, reluctantly, sold my pair of large Acculab three-way speakers which I loved, and my Jensen surround+centre speakers which I liked, but were still too big for my current room.

Basic specs: I'm fussy when it comes to audio so I want something quite decent without costing more than a couple of grand (hard limit at about $2500, prefer to get the whole lot for ~$1500 if it's feasible). From past experience I think a genuine 80W to 100W per front channel ought to cover my needs but as always more is better if it retains clarity. It's mostly for music, secondly for TV/movies and I don't care about huge bass, just a nice balanced tone for listening to a broad range of music from metal to classical.

Amp: I've always wanted to try a Marantz, and the slim NR1504 is the current pick, but haven't looked at others.

Speakers: Size matters (!!) so they must be bookshelf speakers - I'm thinking 5 or 6 inch cones. Due to a significant other being involved, appearance is also important, but I'll let her be the judge on that count :) I want mains and surrounds, don't want a centre speaker unless really unavoidable, and dead against a sub for space reasons. I guess that means I want a 4.0 or 5.0 system. The Wharfedale Diamond 10 series is appealing to me, or something like the PSB Image B6. I'd like to use the same speakers for front and rear, or at least ones from the same style series.

I don't even know if my specs are reasonable, so any thoughts on that will be appreciated.

Any other suggestions? Anywhere within an hour or so of Brisbane with a good selection and listening room?

Thanks hugely for any and all help!