I'm building a 2.1 channel system around a pair of highly resolving Ikon 1 bookshelf speakers I bought last weekend and an 8-inch power sub I've had for years.
They're going into a 13' x 10' home office and will be powered for the time being by my surplus Denon AVR-1800 5-channel 75WPC receiver.
The Ikon 1 is not a terribly efficient speaker (87dB/25-100W amp recommended), so my inclination is to stay away from the 40-50W amps in my price range ($300-$700). This rules out the otherwise very appealing Onkyo A-5VL, which seems a great match for a computer-driven system.
My top candidates are:
Outlaw RR2150 (100W, subwoofer out, bass management, USB DAC)
Emotiva USP-1/UPA-2 combo (125W, sub out, bass management, no DAC).
I had also considered the Harmon Kardon KK-3490 (125W and feature-laden), Onkyo and Marantz.
I prefer the looks of the RR2150 over the Emotiva and Harmon Kardon. But sound, performance and reliability are more important.
