First thought is that I would not worry about buying a sub “for now”. I think it would be better to take that money and put more into a high-current amplifier for the RF-7 tower speakers. The Klipsch speakers are very efficient, which means you don’t need a lot of power to get loud volume. However, with two 10” woofers, a low powered amp will be weak in the bass/midbass area. A really good high-current amplifier will be able to push the 10” woofers much better and you may end up feeling like you don’t need a subwoofer at all. Please let me know your intended budget for an amplifier and I can help advise with some options.
Second thought. I see you have a “phono preamp” on your list, which is definitely required for the turntable. However, you still need a “normal preamp” to run the signal through and control volume – as well as be able to select from different audio sources (such as DAC or dvd/bluray or computer). That ProJect Phono Box DS might be a good option, but it uses an external switching power supply adapter. It would be much better to buy an additional external linear power supply, but this is obviously more money.
Third thought. That Audioengine D1 is really a very poor option for a DAC. It’s great for what it does (a cheap usb to analog convertor for computer desktop speakers). However, it is powered by USB cable and it is going to suffer greatly on sound quality when compared to other DACs.
Based on these thoughts and requirements, if you look at the bargain basement home theater processors, you can get a real gem. The HT Processors really don’t keep their value at all because of the perception that you need the latest and greatest digital decoding / HDMI2.0 / Atmos, room correction, etc. etc. As a result, the value drops like crazy the older they get (this is not like 2-channel audio!!!) The older HT processors can be used as an extraordinary preamp for the money
I think I have found an option that might be good for you. There’s an Integra DHC-60.5 home theater processor on ebay now for $439 from a seller that has 100% positive feedback (csdsl2000). Original retail was $2,000. Try making an offer for $400 – he’ll probably take it. Shipping is FREE on this one. This will work as a DAC and a preamp for any source. Even though it is a multi-channel home theater processor, it can be setup to only use 2-channel left/right speakers. It will allow you to grow if you want to add more speakers (such as a center channel or surrounds or a powered subwoofer). Coincidentally, it also has a phono/turntable input, so you would not need to buy that “ProJect Phono Box DS”. It is fairly recent and has HDMI inputs, so you can hookup a low-cost bluray player (such as a Sony) to play CD / DVD / Bluray stuff. It also has component and composite video inputs. Video outputs include HDMI / component / composite, so you will be able to hookup any television to it. The only caveat is that this processor does not have a “true analog pass through” mode, so any analog source (such as turntable) will be converted to digital and then converted back to analog. It does have a “Direct” mode, which limits the digital processing. In your situation, I don’t think you are at the level where “true analog pass through” will be beneficial. The amount of benefits/features this processor gives will outweigh this tiny detriment. It’s pretty much an “all in one” unit for DAC, audio/video processing, phono turntable preamp and general preamp. It has a really excellent linear power supply (for sound quality) and a whole lot of other options (network streaming for Spotify, Pandora, etc., video processing/upscaling, iphone/ipad remote app, etc.). I think it would be really hard to beat this for the price.
There are other cheaper options for older HT processors, such as Rotel RSP-1066/1098, B&K Ref 50, Proceed AVP, Krell Showcase. These will not have HDMI inputs, but some might have better sound quality. They all differ in sonic signature. B&K will have a very warm/rich sound. Krell will be very detailed and fast. Rotel will be on the detailed/fast side also. They will probably not have a phono input, so you may still have to buy the “ProJect Phono Box DS”. They are also much older and will probably not have the longevity of the Integra. You can also look at more expensive processors in the $500-1000 area. It depends on your budget.
As far as connecting a computer, your best option is to look for a USB-to-SPDIF converter. They can range anywhere from $50 on up to $5,000. It depends on your budget. The Wyred 4 Sound uLink is a very nice one for the money, but you can go cheaper in the beginning if you wish. Get the Blue Jean Cable Beldon 1694A for a SPDIF coax cable. It is the absolute best “for the money”. However, if you are just using a computer to play CDs, you are better off getting a low cost bluray player (such as Sony BDP-6700 for $99).
