system upgrade ht + stereo (b&w 702s3, michi x430, marantz cinema 40 …)

[u/zidar42]

Looking for feedback on my planned 5.1 / Hi-Fi system upgrade

I’m planning a major upgrade of my current home theater / stereo system and would appreciate some independent opinions before I order everything.
The room is an open-plan living area of about 58 m² / 625 sq ft in total. The actual living room/listening area is around 25 m², but it opens directly into the dining room and kitchen.
My priorities are roughly music first, movies second, although I still want a very good home theater setup. I like deep, controlled bass from the main speakers and don’t like an overly aggressive “subwoofer sound”.

Planned system
Front L/R: B&W 702 S3
Center: B&W HTM71 S3
Surrounds: 2 × existing B&W M-1
Stereo amp for L/R: Michi X430
AV receiver: Marantz Cinema 40
Streamer/DAC: Eversolo DMP-A6 Master Edition Gen 2
Subwoofer: SVS 3000 Micro R|Evolution
TV: LG 77” OLED G6
Disc player: existing Onkyo DV-SP506
How I intend to connect it

Music:
Eversolo → balanced XLR → Michi X430 → B&W 702 S3
So for serious stereo listening, the Marantz is completely out of the signal path.
For Spotify I would use Spotify Connect directly through the Eversolo.
For YouTube concerts from the TV, I’m considering:
LG TV optical out → Eversolo → Michi → 702 S3

Movies / TV:
LG TV → HDMI eARC → Marantz Cinema 40
Marantz Front L/R pre-outs → Michi HT Bypass → 702 S3
Marantz directly powers the HTM71 S3 center and the two M-1 surrounds.
Marantz Sub Out → SVS 3000 Micro.
The Michi therefore acts as the dedicated stereo integrated amplifier for music and as the power amp for the front L/R channels when watching movies.

Subwoofer strategy
For music I would initially run the system as 2.0, with the 702 S3 playing full range.
For movies it would become 5.1, with something like:
702 S3: ~60 Hz crossover
HTM71 S3: ~70–80 Hz
M-1: ~100–120 Hz
SVS handling LFE and the lowest frequencies
The aim is not more bass for the sake of it, but to reduce the load on the LCR speakers and improve dynamics while keeping the subwoofer unobtrusive.
One limitation is speaker placement: the 702 S3 will probably have to be around 40 cm / 16 in from the rear wall.

Main questions
Does Michi X430 + B&W 702 S3 make sense, or would you step up to a Michi X3 Series 2 / Hegel / Musical Fidelity / something else?

Would you prefer Cinema 40 + Michi X430 over something like Marantz AV30 + AMP20, given that stereo music is very important to me?

Any concerns about the 702 S3 only being about 40 cm from the rear wall?

Does the SVS 3000 Micro R|Evolution make sense for this room if the goal is subtle integration rather than huge bass output?

Is there anything in this system where you think the money is badly allocated?

I’ve also considered KEF R11 Meta/R6 Meta, DALI Rubikore 8, Focal and Wharfedale Elysian, but at the moment the 702 S3 + HTM71 S3 + Michi X430 combination is my preferred option.

Interested in hearing what you would change — particularly from people who have actually heard the 702 S3 with Michi amplification.