I like the idea of just letting this amp in the basement idea go and putting it in the cabinet. The fireplace is gas and doesn't heat up anything really well being a vented box, so it's probably just fine.
Another amp (integrated) that Ohm said to take a look at was the Peachtree Nova 300. I could switch gears entirely and go with this class D to really save on space. I've never heard a class D amp and i know it has it's share of haters, but I'm not sure it matters to me since I'm not a critical listener - I move about while the music is playing. I need tone controls though so I could but a Schiit Loki in the loop output it has - but I also need to feed a separate premap for the outdoor speakers with it, so perhaps I can just use a RCA splitter at the loop output to do that (it has preamp out but that's not good for feeding another volume control). I'm assuming the loop output on that unit has a fixed volume like a REC out.
So, now I'm debating the 555se in the cabinet, or switching to the Peachtree Nova 300. This seems to be an ever evolving research project.
Another amp (integrated) that Ohm said to take a look at was the Peachtree Nova 300. I could switch gears entirely and go with this class D to really save on space. I've never heard a class D amp and i know it has it's share of haters, but I'm not sure it matters to me since I'm not a critical listener - I move about while the music is playing. I need tone controls though so I could but a Schiit Loki in the loop output it has - but I also need to feed a separate premap for the outdoor speakers with it, so perhaps I can just use a RCA splitter at the loop output to do that (it has preamp out but that's not good for feeding another volume control). I'm assuming the loop output on that unit has a fixed volume like a REC out.
So, now I'm debating the 555se in the cabinet, or switching to the Peachtree Nova 300. This seems to be an ever evolving research project.