The mighty work of getting my system up to date, and making it rival the best on the cheap, has begun!
After buying the cheapo Pioneer DV563-A and finding it good, I sold my aging but still hoity-toity Arcam Alpha 8 CDP on eBay for a good price. Plus, my wife and I have been cleaning out the basement and I have unloaded several tchochkies gifted to me over the years that people apparently find "collectable". God, I love eBay.
So, I just bought myself another little Christmas present: a new-in-the-box-full-warranty (not refurb!) HK DPR-1001 7.1 receiver on eBay (hope it didn't fall off the back of a truck!) to serve as the center of my eventual multichannel system. I decided I liked the compact form factor since I will eventually be using it solely as a prepro.
Here's the Master Plan for my 5.1 music only system, subject to revision of course:
<b>Phase 1:</b> Install HK reciever, build diplole subwoofer according to Linkwitz's "Phoenix" design using two 12" Peerless XLS drivers. Power my current two main speakers with the HK's amps and drive the sub with my Adcom power amp (one channel per driver). Connect sub and amp to HK's sub output. I'll use the HK's Zone 2 feature to drive the background music Rat Shack in-wall speakers in our living room.
<b>Phase 2:</b> Build three (L, R, and C) biamped and upgraded versions of my current open-baffle dipole speakers, and active crossovers for each. Power each with DIY amps from Rod Ellott's plans and PCBs (I already have PCBs and most of the parts for four channels x 100 watts, design P3A). Tentative drivers: Peerless 850490 HDS 8" woofers, Seas 27TDC tweets. Amps to be integrated into the speaker stands. Build two temporary single-driver "ambience" rear speakers.
<b>Phase 3:</b> Build my "Audio Fortress of Solitude" in the basement, an acoustically isolated and optimized room of about 13' x 20' x 7.5'. Build rear speakers identical to fronts. Maybe build another dipole sub and associated amps.
Building the room may occur concurrently with the first "Phases" bit by bit, as time, budget, and wifely indulgence will allow. It will mostly be a DIY project, except for the AC wiring. I don't mess with things I don't understand that can kill me!
You can see my current system (pre-DV563-A)
in this thread.
Stay tuned! Bwah-ha-ha-ha-haaaa!!