Should a buy a new preamp or a receiver?

djperez81 wrote: »

Here is my situation, my weak link in my setup is my onkyo 801 which i have hooked up to a adcom gfa 7000 thx. I am trying to decide whether to buy a new onkyo 708 or 709 or can a find a nice pre that would support dts-hd and dolby true hd? I am very pleased with the power from the adcom so thats why i was wondering if there is a nice pre in my price range. my budget is about 400-500 bucks.

Offhand I'm not aware of any preamp / processors (ie: non-receivers) in the $500 range that will handle the lossless formats (others may jump in). If you're asking about receivers, then what justlord said above. Pioneer, Onkyo, & Yamaha seem to be forum favorites but you can throw in Denon, Marantz, and HK as well. If you want new, then it may be a little more difficult since the lower-mid models of most of those brands may not have pre-outs. Used is wide-open.

chumlie wrote: »

Here ya go. Outlaw audio at outlaw.com has Marantz SR 5005 for $499 Free Shipping.

Here you go. $399. It is a refurb.
http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/MARSR5005/MARANTZ-SR5005-100w-X-7ch-3-D-Home-Theater-Surround-Receiver/1.html#!more

Onkyo will have more surround sound listening modes, better upscaling, and the better Audyssey MulitEq XT automatic setup if you get a 2011 model (TX-NR709 or higher).
http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/category/AVReceiver/Home-Audio/Home-Theater-Receivers/1.html?&r=4ee43779

I've said this before, but just in case you haven't heard it...

If you're going to use an external amp, why not take the money that would have been spent on an A/V receiver with a built-in amp section you'll never use and instead put it towards a better preamp. Doesn't necessarily need to have support for the lossless formats or even HDMI. You really only need support for those formats for one source: your Blu-Ray/SACD player. So if you get a decent universal player that can decode those formats on-board and send them via a 7.1 analog output (read: Oppo), it frees you up to buy an actual preamp worthy of pairing with your amp.

After auditioning several HT preamps in my listening space I decided on the Outlaw 990. No HDMI, no TruHD, no DTS:MA--don't need them. It has a 7.1 input for those, and I let my TV handle the HDMI switching. You could also go with a Rotel RSP-1068, the Emotiva UMC-1, Anthem AVM-20, B&K Reference 50 Series 2... Many more to choose from that are much higher quality units and better buys than your typical consumer-grade Japanese AVR, all for between $300 - $500. I'm all about getting the most bang for your buck, but IMO an AVR isn't it.

Anyway that's my opinion, just thought I'd put it out there in case maybe you hadn't considered that option.

I don't consider the loss of a speaker something I should have a flawless contingency plan for. To me, that just means I need to replace the speaker ASAP and I can suffer the consequences until I do. YMMV.

Also, the Oppo BDP-93 is indeed a processor, and is likely a far better processor than anything included in an AVR. It handles speaker/bass management on board, so the signal it sends via the 7.1 analog outputs is exactly what you need it to be, requiring no further management from the preamp. If you're not familiar with the Oppo line of universal players, I highly recommend you check them out. Once I find a bargain on an Oppo my setup will be complete.

Let's see 8 RCA cables or one HDMI cable? Hell it's only HT, make mine an HDMI cable.

Besides that fact that your suggestion would require the OP to buy an Oppo and a pre amp with his stated budget of $400-$500, which is never going to happen, the number of cables certainly matters to many.

Talk about highly questionable recommendations.

Syndil, it's not a matter of resistance or push back, just trying to work with the OP in his given budget is all. Nothing wrong with the option you mentioned, as it has it's upsides and downsides and we need to point out the downsides also when handing out advice so the OP can make a rational decision on what suits his needs best. Simple as that, don't take it personal bro.

And of course as dudeinaroom mentioned, the Emotiva UMC-1 does have support for the lossless formats and HDMI, and currently is right at the top of the OP's budget.