Wow, 3 items in a row (amp, speakers and phono stage).
Audio Partnership should give you a rebate.
Congrats again with your new purchase.
Did you get the Carnival 6 from 5th Ave. or from SM Appliance? Those speakers are closely related to the Gale 3040. They don't have the outright resolution or the sharp image of the Avant line (images are a bit diffused), but they are still very pleasing to listen to. Stereophile rates the Carnivals very highly. Based on their ratings of different gear, I think Stereophile in general prefers a bolder, warmer, and enveloping sound, while What-HiFi puts a bit more focus on detail, imaging, and depth (and tends to prefer a leaner delivery).
For MS speaks, I think the Mezzos deliver the best bang/buck. The Performance line is better, but is so much dearer. The Avianos are still great and are very dynamic (excellent for HT), but they're a very noticeable drop from the Mezzos in terms of fine detail and depth. The Avants are similar to Avianos, but sound brighter and are more brash. The Carnivals are very different sounding from the rest of the MS line, due to their Gale origins. They have a warmer, more Wharfedale-like disposition.