The Marantz is the new SR8002. I really wanted separates (and Marantz is coming out with some in a few months) but my dealer gave me a great deal on the 8002 and it does have a toroidal power supply so plenty of head room. I will probably add an amp (Parasound, Outlaw, Rotel, Vincent - who knows) to slowly get me to the separates point. Center - yeah, the imaging from the towers is great. Even off axis the dialog is situated nicely and fully in the proper place. I demo'd all of the speakers in my home and -pre-Marantz- everything sounded better without running a center. I know people like Richard Hardesty have argued against them for years so, again, I will just evaluate later. Thanks for the compliments, I love my new system. Next time you are in Houston you are more than welcome to stop by for a listen.
www.partsexpress.com is a good spot for plate amps. Also, if you already have a DVD player, you could just hook up a set of Logitech Z-5500 . It sounds good for movies, costs $220, built in decoder, wireless remote etc. It's what I have in my bedroom, and it's overkill.
