I have my eye on one of these too. I was originally looking at the Parasound P6 because it has bass management and would allow me to high pass my bookshelf speakers and cross them over to two custom made subs, but the Minidsp looks like a significantly better option with regards to crossovers.
It lacks the HT Bypass that I was excited about in the P6, which is a huge selling point for me because the HT Bypass works when the parasound is turned off and is therefore essentially family-proof. I can always use the analog input on the Minidsp and choose a fixed volume setting when watching movies/tv, but I can definitely foresee future phone calls inquiring on why there is no sound on the tv.
I was also excited about being able to adjust the subwoofer level right on the front of the Parasound, but I can live without that. But again, I gotta ask if this Minidsp can be used as a legitimate preamp. It looks as though it’s marketed that way, but am I better off going with the P6? I guess it depends on if I want ease of use or room correction and full control over crossover and eq etc.