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Thanks Guys, I'll try a good DAC and then upgrade to a 5 channel power amp. Marantz makes one and it would probably match nicely with the existing pre in my receiver. Later on I can upgrade the pre to a better one from the same company. I'll start looking into DACs. I heard the one from Cambridge is pretty good in the $500 range. H

Is there a solid benefit in using a nice two channel integrated amp (Creek, Music Hall, Parasound, Peachtree, etc.) with a DAC to drive my fronts for music and HT while letting my AVR handle the center and rear portion of my system? Will I get much better sound than I get from my Marantz/B&W combo? I would like the best two channel sound possible, but the difference should be measureable if I am to spend an extra $1500. I have asked this question before, but I didn't get a definitive answer. H

Thanks for the responses. I guess I can't do much better than I'm doing without spending thousands. My listening room is set up right and I get some great sound from my current equipment. The imaging in the room is top notch. As far as the "ASCAP and BMI police", they'd be in for a rude awakening when they come to my door only to find a 200lb dog guarding it! Still, I will keep my cds. H

I'm new to all of this. I apologize for a long winded post, but I have much to learn. I bought a Vortexbox appliance from Small Green Computers. I've had it for a month and love it. My goal is to get all 1,500 CDs into it, so I can store them out of sight. The box is connected to my Marantz SR7000 receiver via a Turtle Beach USB to optical connector; I'm using the receiver's DAC. My front speakers are B&W DM310s (2-ways with 8" bass drivers). I have a 300 watt, 10" Definitive Sub. I use my system 50/50 for music and HT. The sound I'm getting out of the new box is great. Here are my questions: 1. What can I do to improve upon what I am hearing for $500? 2. What can I do for $1000? 3. What can I do for $1500? 4. Will any of the above improvements be revelatory? 5. Is there an integrated AMP/DAC combo that will just destroy my receiver? I could always use the pre-outs and keep my HT system by driving the fronts with a better 2-way amp. 6. After I back the box up on an external HD, should I keep my CDs as backup or sell them? What have you all done with your cds? I listened to a whole bunch of speakers in the 1k to 2.5k range from Monitor Audio to B&W to Dali to Snell and none sounded good enough to justify me canning my speakers. Any suggetions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance. H