Patrick - Thanks for the heads up. I don't think the wait will bother me too much. I had no amps all summer as they were being upgraded, so I had NO SOUND. THAT bothered me

!!
Currently, my system sounds considerably better than it ever has, and I will keep the 7's for as long as possible during the 9's build time.. In fact, I may even keep them untill I get the 9's, if I can, to avoid any additional stress to the situation.

I'm really getting tired of black speakers, but I'm sure I'll survive until the 9's show up.
In addition, thee are enough significant differences between the SE and the SE Mk2 versions of the 9's to make the Mk2 2s the obvious choice. I am finished with speaker modification for the near future - they are a real PITA. The results with my 7's are nothing short of amazing compared to how they originally came to me, which makes me very happy.
Your Anni upgrade will be well worth the wait, as all VSA's upgrades usually are. Are you filling in with some other speakers while you wait?