Returning to 2 channel only. Suggestions?


I have played with the HT thing for about a year now, and it’s time to come back to my roots of 2-channel audio. Looking to divest myself of my Sunfire Theater Grand II processor and Sunfire Cinema Grand Signature Amp, and return to an appropriate amp and CD/SACD front end for the part of my system that will remain:

VPI Scout/JMW/Dynavector 20X
ARC SP9 MKII
Magnepan MGIIIA

I am not married to either tubes or SS at this point – looking for some suggestions and synergy.

My musical tastes are varied. The only things I don’t listen to are “big hat” country music and “christian” music. I do like Texas Swing (ala Bob Wills, Asleep At The Wheel) however.

In order to appease my spouse, monies will have to come from the sale of the Sunfire components, give or take a grand.
Thanks for your help folks!
slipknot1
I was just listening to (Alison Kraus,Natale Cole,Pink Floyd) in sacd surround this morning and thinking how much better it sounded than two channel when I saw your post. Are you sure you want to go back to two channel? it looks to me like you need a good center channel to match your maggies and a good multichannel sacd player. I listen to a lot of two channel myself but not buy choice, this is going to be a very big year for multichannel sacd's. I have a sunfire theatergrand also and a sony xa777 multichannel player. I would give this some more thought, or at least wait a while but if you must, good luck and good listening as we all need what sounds best to each of us.
Sogood-
I know what you mean. I've been going back and forth on this. My center channel speaker, while not up to the Maggie quality, is actually a pretty good performer. It anchors the dialog quite well. The NS500V is a weak link and needs to go regardless of where this ends up (probably to the family room system). I just find myself playing records more and more. I do have a 5.1 system in our family room, and If I turn my main room back to 2 channel only, I would move the Magnepan MMGs and the Sunfire Super Junior sub as the front left/right/sub (with the Heybrook center and a pair of Sound Dynamics RTS3s for the rear. The 52" RPTV would also relocate to the family room allowing us to watch movies and the occassional 5.1 SACD on the NS500.
You ARE however, giving me some good food-for-thought :)

PS: What cable are you using to connect your TG to the SACD?
Do you have the TG II or III? I ask as my II uses a DB25 connector.
Slipknot1, I have TG II and my DB25 cable was $150 I think but it's been a while ( monster cable). You can have one made up for you if you check around. I can't think of the name of the company that makes the link-dac, but I think they sell one also. There was a post on this a few months back and there was a few answers from people who had bought these cables, it was here or over at AA forum. I do have a two channel system in another room with apogee centaur minors and vmps sub but find good multichannel sacd smokes it in every way. (Bad multichannel does not) I have a couple of these and always listen to them in two channel as who ever recorded them did not know what they were doing.
Slipknot, Grab a classic ARC or CJ tube amp and let those maggies SING!!!

Have fun!