Hi stpierre
The Electrocompaniet is a lovely organic sounding amp that deserves good speakers - by the way, what source are you using?
I think the advice from David is spot on.....I have Kef Ref and (IMO) believe them to be superior to the B&W, so absolutely worth an audition....their wonderfully open presentation should complement the slightly laid back presentation of the amp.
Other "must audition" speakers are:
Neat ....................Ultimatum (as mentioned)
Sonus Faber..............Cremona Auditor M (gorgous sounding - mid/trebble more than makes up for the slight bass lightness)
Spendor .................Classic R SP2 3R Mk2 (Might leave the whole thing too laid back, maybe David could advise on this)
Dynaudio Confidence C1...(probably out of budget)
Harbeth..................(Try to get a listen to some of the range if possible.)
As to what to avoid.....that's much more difficult as it's so subjective, and may put you off listening to something you might enjoy. The best I can do is list some of the the speakers that I avoid:
Focal
Atc
Triangle
Monitor Audio
B&W (sorry
)
Dali
I stress, the above list is very personal, and certainly doesn't mean that they are poor...just not to mt taste.
My advice is based on standmounts around the B&Ws that were mentioned. If floorstanders are in the equation, then the goal posts move, and the likes of PMC and Proac come into play...what is your room size and do you have a strong preference?
Cno