Thoughts on a new surround prepro.

pearsall001

Now that I've got my amp situation under control, it's time to look into a new surround prepro. So far I've looked at the NAD T175 & have read up on the newest from Outlaw, Emotiva, & Integra all slated to be out shortly. Meridian, Cary & Lexicon also have great stuff although very $$$$. I don't know how important it is for the pre to do the decoding or let the BlueRay player do that (my next purchase).

Also I really don't know how warranted all the room correction & video upscaling are. Everybody seems to be jumping on the band wagon & offering everything (except NAD). To me I think it's just that much more to go wrong with something & would have to send it back for repair.

Also I haven't ruled out a mid-fi receiver from Pio Elite, Yamaha, Denon, Onkyo, or NAD just to use as a pre. Any thoughts or recommendations. Budget would be at the high end around 2k. I would like to keep it under that though.

George Grand

pearsall001 wrote: »

Now that I've got my amp situation under control,

This can only mean one thing. The amplifier situation over there was actually OUT OF CONTROL prior to this (whatever "this" is).

I know the feeling. Some of these boys over here get a little testy at times, but I know how to rein them in.

Good luck.

Sherardp

Since you have an amp, you could save yourself some coin by using an AVR as a pre/pro in which allot of us here do. Elites from Pio are relatively inexpensive and will do the trick. I'd recommend the Elite 94, SC-05, SC-07. The 94 is a beast though last yrs model can be had for under 900 bucks. Worth the read I tell you. Go to Best Buy and give those models a listen, if you like what you hear, buy one online.

Dennis Gardner

I've purposely made the decision to let the format decoding in AVR/prepro mature and allow the source to handle the job until someone rises above the fray. I think you have very little to gain at this time over your NAD as far as sound goes. You can easily get great sound out of what you have for another year or so when the next generation of stuff emerges.

Early B.

Pear --

At your level of the game, you shouldn't even consider using a receiver as a pre/pro. Save yourself some money and get the Emotiva UMC-1 once it comes out later this year. Then use the remainder of your budget to buy a 5-channel amp (Emotiva XPA-5). This combo will absolutely smoke what you've got right now. Once you get a blu-ray player, you'll still have a couple hundred bucks remaining in your budget. If you buy the amp used and the BR player during the X-mas season, you'll save even more money.

cfrizz

I know that even though it is convenient to have it all in one box (receiver), I will never go back to one.

McLoki

the affordable pre/pros are just begining to hit the market. (outlaw, emotiva, etc.) I would either wait or drop $400 or less in an avr to tide you over for a year or so. It just comes down to if you want to wait or not (and if you have a use for the AVR after you get the pre/pro or not).

either way, good luck with your choice.

Michael