I also had to make the same choice. I eventually went with the Dayton because it had the inputs/outputs I needed to connect everything together. The v1220 didnt. Overall the v1220 should be better even though it's a down-firing sub. Just make sure you can connect everything.
Oh and I love using...
Unless you upgrade your monitors/speakers, I dont see why you would want to dish out $400 for a sub. If you are looking for a budget sub with RCA jacks, look at the Dayton subs from Parts Express. I have one that Ive been using with my monitors for a while now.
The best quality to file size MP3 is V0 VBR. It's practically just as good as 320kbps but about 2/3 the size.
Yea 128 is crap. I dont even have any 128 mp3s. But when it comes to comparing 198+, you need to a/b it.
Definitely the D1080 if she doesnt care about a sub. If she wants a sub, she can always add one later on. The drivers and enclosure is much bigger on the D1080 which is needed especially if she wont be sitting directly in front of the speakers... The M10 will be too weak for a living room. You...