DIYing cabinets is definitely an option...I've talked over some ideas with The Redhead and she's amenable to a wider range of ideas than I thought. Little did I know that when she and her mom listened to a little Ray Charles through the AS-101s, she started to come around.

I found this cabinet design over at AK:
http://audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=76361
and also checked out the plans at lansingheritage.com. GM, if I give you rough dimensions of what will fit in my living room, can you tell me if your cabinet would work? From your description, it sounds like you'd take one design from pg. 22, but make it almost a foot taller and add a port. This may be the start of something big... (so to speak)