Small and satisfying. Please help me.

There are some used Mackie's selling on Ebay. You want the Mackie HR824.
Just a suggestion, but I like those speakers. They are rated to be flat down to 40 Hz and I believe it. Amazing high and low extension for a bookshelf monitor. Great sounding. Must be something to do with being bi-amped, with a more powerful amp for the bass. They can be used with or without a Sub-woofer. I don't know a lot about two channel pre-amps, but there are quite a few used ones selling on A'Gon.

Warren. If you absolutely decided on 2 speakers, and you don't want to go crazy with processors, might you consider something like this?

http://www.kefinstanttheatre.com/

Small, simple, clean, easy, and not too expensive. This product is basically all you need, and will fit the criteria you have established.

Slow down and do some homework. You have been without this up until now, a little time spent doing some investigating will not hurt. You wiil actually find it was time well invested.

Remember, measure twice, cut once. Ed.

Eduardo, I have decided on two speakers, but I gots to look at them. Those speakers, you recommended, are downright ugly. I figure if I follow the used amp and speaker route, I will find two small floorstanders with a great integrated for considerably less than 2k. Man, would I love to have my Theil 1.5s back, right about now. Even the 1.2s would be nice. Creek, Adcoms, Music Fidelitys, and the like will be coming up over the next few months, and a host of others. I'm not that picky with this HT deal. Just want something to make the movie watch a bit more interesting sound wise. I'll surely score with something on the 'gon. This is for the summer. Owe Uncle Sam so I've got to wait a little. I'm going with the Panasonic 32" LCD.

Yea, they are a little funky lookin. As Zappa would say, they look like a cross between an industrial vacuum cleaner and a chrome piggy bank, without the marital aids stuck all over it's body.

But you never said anything about having to look nice also. You're expanding your criteria.

Pretty cool concept though, Huh?

Update -- Just found out that Panasonic is coming out with a DVD player that will include HDMI output. It was introduced at CES. I will be their new flagship model -- Panasonic DVD-S97. Panasonic has a great history with
DVD players. Don't know how much this will cost or when it will appear in stores.