I have the 990/7125. I currently have a 5.1 satellite speaker set up in my living room which is where the 990/7125 is. Since getting the 990 I have listened to alot more music and would now like to get an additional 2 speakers that would be used strictly for 2 channel music. I obviously have the extra 2 channels on the 7125. Could I use those and the second zone inputs to hook up these speakers in the same room. If so, how would I hook them up? If not, what do I need. I'm very new at this so any help would be great

From a mechanical standpoint, all you would need to do is connect stereo analog cables from any sources you wanted to be able to listen to and then hook the second zone outputs to the spare channels of the 7125, which would then drive the two new speakers. The second zone is basically a small stereo analog pre-amp tucked inside the 990, though, so you wouldn't have the benefit of the 990's DAC or upsampling capabilities when using it. For that reason, I'd probably not use it as a two-channel music front-end unless you are doing so with a good stereo source. Would it be possible to upgrade your two main speakers and using them for both two-channel and multichannel listening?

I'm waiting for the new oppo to come out. I'm not sure if you would consider that good from a dac standpoint. I've given upgrading my 2 front channels too much thought..so much so its driving me crazy. Onix has b-stock ref1 available for $749..I have also considered getting a home theatre package w/the Onix 760 mains, their center channels and surrounds. I've looked at triange, quad, revel concerta line etc. I'm going to hear the revel concerta line tomorrow so time will tell. Thanks for the help Gonk.

I'm also keeping a close eye on the new OPPO - it sounds like it should be a pretty nice player, but I wouldn't expect its DAC to match the 990's DAC. Have fun with the speaker shopping...