Thanks very much for your feedback. To answer your queries:

Don - Yes, my impression was that - by a mix of luck and good advice - I'd
hit on some respectable components but at a decent price. It'd be good to
buy these the same way, but before setting a budget, I'd like to explore
how much quality I can get for how much extra money. If you can suggest a
few options, it'll be extremely useful.

Phil - The CD player's about 10 years old - I think it's the mk II model?
but sadly not the KI. The furnishings are somewhere between your extremes -
curtains, one sofa, carpeted at the moment, but that may go in due course.

Dave, Laurence - My previous speakers were Acoustic Research AR18BX,
bought for a smaller room. I've always assumed they were the weakest link
but have never properly looked into it. Perhaps my first question might have
been "would you repair or replace them?"

Chris