fishnchips

My recommendation would be the Neumann KH120s, with the new HiFace Two. This keeps the budget to three figures but will still need a decent DAC and a decent means to control volume. No need for amps though, and no need for a full preamp either.

Do readers who had a fever all day yesterday qualify by way of an exception?? :-)

I can not disagree with any of your choices. Maggies are great speakers, and many renowned studios and recording engineers use custom made speakers with digital crossovers. I would actually consider the analog part of such a setup (amplifier choice, gain structure, grounding, hum and noise issues, etc) the toughest part to sort out. About kits now, there are many ambitious designs floating around, but I would hesitate recommending stuff I have not listened to. Nor would I buy a complete kit unless I could get it auditioned carefully first, but then again I'm cautious by nature.

The Arvo Part Picante? Jon Marsh knows his stuff, that's for sure.

Waveguides are a neat idea, and yes, they are difficult to implement UNLESS one copies a well-proven design! There are plenty available, eg: http://gainphile.blogspot.com http://www.zaphaudio.com/Waveguidetmm.html and many others.

In this case you can dig your teeth into just about anything!

I think that Grimm themselves have published a white paper on their website, outlining which types of DACs should or should not be expected to show improved performance when used with their clock.

The Orion is a supreme accomplishment, and the Linkwitz website is by far the most comprehensive and thorough one of its kind that I know of. Nevertheless it requires a solid background on math and physics, and may not be the best starting place for someone who is not comfortable around complex numbers, harmonic oscillations, or integrals and derivatives.

Have you looked into "signal return", "signal ground", and "chassis ground"? This is a good place to start: http://www.rane.com/note151.html

Embarking on a DIY project is fun, but not an easy task. Which is part of the fun I guess. I highly doubt that a beginner will be able to pull off a good speaker of their own design successfully. In such cases copying a design by a respected DIYer, like Troels, Tony of HumbleHomeMadeHiFi, Zaph, Paul Carmody and other DIY forum denizens, is probably the most prudent course.

Just stacking crossover filter next to crossover filter is not a free lunch. I think a three way is optimal for mos situations, with a four way sometimes needed for deep and loud LF extension. I don't know how well versed the OP is on the subject. Reading through Troels Gravesen's pages is probably a good way to start: http://www.troelsgravesen.dk/Diy_Loudspeaker_Projects.htm

If you want to go pro, the Metric Halo LIO-8 is within budget. You get lots of extra channels to play with if you fancy.

MarkS, why don't you email dCS and ask them? If they have done their homework, they should be able to give you a definite recommendation. After all they must be using a cable themselves.

I think that some speaker simulation software incorporates measurement facilities. You will need a microphone, ideally one calibrated to the measurement suite, and placed in the listening position. Then the software emits a series of clicks and outputs a pulse response that can be used to adjust driver time delay.

FLAC is an open format with royalty-free licensing. Sony are greedy. Simple as that. The sooner DSD dies, the more hope there is that they will learn their lesson for a change.