I've been using a minidsp shd, cherry DAC TL to cherry maraschino ILM with my spatial M5s. The sound is incredible. Had to watch the for used market as this can be a costly setup but there are plenty of class d options in your budget.
I thought I would be giving something up using the minidsp shd as a preamp as the volume control is digital but it worked out very well and the bass management using Dirac is very useful.
So, i've been looking into my options and I think the MiniDSP SHD might be a winner. Any impressions on how the dirac improves the experience with your Spatials? Wondering if I should have any reservations using dirac with my Triode Masters.
Right now i'm considering a couple of Schiit Vidar amps mono blocked via balanced XLR's into the SHD. I was considering the Cherry Amp route but another person on the forum mentioned that the new X-series sounded much better on A/B power vs class-d. I'm likely going to upgrade when I can, and I want to have a solid upgrade path.
