Thanks John and Sushi. The room is a bit on the large size. The 'theater' boundaries are apx. 24' x 17' but the 17' really extends another 10 feet to the wall and the right rear opens up into a hallway. These days I'm mostly listening to SACDs or DVD-A disks. The volume on the HK is typically set between -8db and -15db for classical music,
-12 to -20 with jazz, -15 to -25 with rock, electric blues, etc. and -20 to -35 for movies (the volume proportionately lowers roughly 20% when my lovely wife joins me).
I guess in some of the things I've read, people have said that separate power amps improve the soundstage, the detail, etc., etc. However, the HK does a pretty outstanding job as a solo performer. So, if after reading about my room specs and my listening levels, your feeling remains forget the power amp, I'll gladly save myself close to $1k and get the rear speaker(s) sooner rather than later. Thanks again.
Phil
