It was/is my first foray into the world of separates. Sorry, I've not own another amp previously. I only had my Yamaha RX-V2200 receiver to compare them against (head-to-head, that is). Other beta testers compared it against higher-end receivers they have/had. And I've seen other owners...
It's a very good attraction, but most have been using the UFW12 without the RDES (which was being revised and now being shipped). The UFW can definitely function without RDES (just like any other sub). RDES is supposed to make it better by allowing you to smooth out the curve. My point was...
You might look into getting 5 of these Middies ($75/ea) from HTD.com: http://www.htd.com/htdmiddies.html Not much left for a subwoofer, but you can see if they can throw in a subwoofer at a package discounted price? Slightly larger speakers (Level 2), but it comes with a subwoofer ($650...
Can you fit the center speaker inside the tv stand? If not, try to mount it like this: http://av123forum.com/attachment.php?s=&postid=240688 You can get the mount from your local BB or CC. Or order it online at Buy.com for slightly cheaper...
I think Swan has a forum of their own, so you might want to go there and request demos from owners that may live near you. Listening for yourself is the only way to find out if you like them or not. They come in both flavors of vinyl and wood veneers. Definitely worth a look in person to...
I installed that on-wall speaker mount myself. It looks pretty good, but I wanted to try something different with my own. Maybe in time, I'll design/build my own on-TV shelf to blend in better and distribute weight more evenly. Sweet stand you built, btw. VERY NICE!!! Yea, I love Danny...