Yeah, I'd say get the Macap M4 or Mazzer, and then buy your machine.

The key question is whether or not you do milk drinks.

If yes, then a HX is the machine of choice IF you can fit it in the budget, and I think you can. If not, then you have a couple of single-boiler alternatives that are a bit less expensive but will produce great espresso - they're just somewhat of a pain in the butt to use for steaming.

If you call up Chris' Coffee with this set of parameters I bet you get a great setup that will produce very, very good shots.