A few things Bruce.
First, the Axiom M5 vs the Elacs. The Axioms will likely be a strong outperformer compared to the Elacs and i'm not stating that as an Axiom fanboy, but just by the specs alone, aside from my personal experience with the quality of Axiom components (e.g. their drivers will be far better quality than those Elac).
https://www.crutchfield.ca/S-REkQsETLCMS/p_970DBR62W/ELAC-Debut-Reference-DBR62-Oak.htmlhttps://www.axiomaudio.com/m5-bookshelf-speakersThe paper cones and cloth tweeter of the Elac won't be as crisp or clear as the Axiom metal units. The last soft dome tweeter i had sounded almost muffled in comparison to a metal tweeter (that was comparing brands other than Axiom btw).
The M5 is also a 3-way design while the Elac is a 2 way design. You will get alot better resolution and detail in the midrange with the M5 by far.
The M5 is more efficient than the Elac thus requiring less power for more SPL.
The woofers are the same diameter so total air moved might be similar but the stronger titanium Axiom driver will likely have a 'tighter' bass sound and you will get more bass from the larger M5 enclosure.
Again this is based on my experience hearing other small bookshelf speakers to some Axiom equivalents (like the M22s or even my M60s).
Second, i'm all for cutting costs and keeping things reasonable, but when you think you have an under $300 USD (new) "quality" amp that is advertised as 150W per channel at less than 25 pounds total weight that isn't a Class D design, i'm VERY VERY suspicious. That old B&K amp is likely a more solid unit than that Sound Artist thing.
https://www.china-hifi-audio.com/en...1?zenid=fe8c5c898239fbce564874ad70b566b9https://www.audiogon.com/listings/b-k-av6000-series-ii-125-watts-x-6-channel-amplifierWhen you cannot find any real quality information on a piece of electronics, don't buy it. Put a bit of money into your amp because if you chintz out on the power, the speakers WILL distort and at a lower volume than you might expect! (assuming the amp doesn't fry itself and take the speakers with it)
RARELY do i ever tell anyone they need a better amp but in this extremely rare case, i would say start with that and don't turn up your new M5s until you get something more proven and solid. Sell some of your old gear to help with the costs. Some of the best bang for the buck used amps i've had include Anthems lineup over the years.
eg. Anthem MCA2 and MCA20
https://www.anthemav.com/products-a...tion=performance/model=mca-20/page=specsThese are from old (now defunct) sales ads but the price is right, usually around $650-800 Cdn used.
https://www.canuckaudiomart.com/details/649419369-anthem-mca-20-price-drop/https://www.canuckaudiomart.com/details/649454873-anthem-mca-2-series-ii-power-amplifier-in-black/Another option in a similar price range is the Parasound Halo 23 (not the newer 23+).
https://www.avsforum.com/threads/parasound-halo-a23-vs-anthem-mca-20.1348444/https://www.parasound.com/a23.phphttps://www.audiogon.com/listings/lisa8cha-parasound-a23-power-amplifier-multi-channel-ampsWhat i really like about this Halo unit is that it is a Class A into the first 5W and has some excellent capacitance reserve for its size. Both Anthem and Parasound make proven products with expected and reasonable stats for their price.
This audio forum and particularly this thread might help you with some sound decisions on low cost amps as well:
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...-best-amp-below-200-and-150.13385/page-6
