It should be noted that the A8Xs mentioned above retail for $2,000 a pair, while the Emotivas run a full $500 less.

On further inspection, I think the faceplate is probably not aluminum, but MDF with some type of hard lacquer or veneer applied. The screws on the front are not allen, but Torx (the star pattern), size T10. 

Also, as you can see from the picture of the emotiva, the corners of the faceplate are rounded, meaning a traditional rectangular grill would leave you with protruding corners...   Of more concern may be the fact that any grill you put over the faceplate will cover the volume knob in the...

The airmotivs are great speakers. The faceplate seems to be made of a moulded piece of aluminum; I wouldn't recommend drilling or otherwise poking holes in it if you value the speaker's acoustic properties.   My suggestion would be to attach a grill using some kind of 3M or Scotch product...

If you do decide to go the powered speaker/ separate DAC & preamp route, you might want to take a look at some of the offerings from a Chinese company called "Topping." You can find their products at http://www.tpdz.net/en/index.htm

Quote:   Short answer: probably yes (depending on your computer's DAC, as noted above). BUT, if you plan to get even a relatively inexpensive DAC in the future, the short-term difference in sound quality, IMO, is not enough to justify choosing the Aktimate over the Airmotiv.  ...

Thanks for the reply. The base is very good on my Airmotiv 5s, especially considering their diminutive size, but I plan to add a powered sub in the near future for a little extra oomph on the low end. That seems like a simple, effective and relatively inexpensive way of setting up a nice 2.1...

  Here's a photo of my D6's power adapter with the specs.