IMO, one issue you have is running your Cary CDP directly to the Spectron amp. You may have an impedance mismatch causing bass roll off in your amp, which will have the effect of making your speakers sound bright because of the lack of bass to balance the sound. Also, the Spectron II is not as refined as some other SS amps, including the Spectron III. The Totem speakers are not forgiving as you have heard.
I read post after post where people tried running CD players directly into their amps and discovered better sound by adding a preamp despite the less-is-more theory in the signal chain.
Bottom line, I don't believe your problem necessarily lies with your speakers, but rather with a mismatch caused by the combination of your electronics and speakers.
If you're determined to buy new speakers, then you should try to find speakers you like and match an amp to them, not the other way around...which you will discover results in a fair amount of "tail chasing".