I listened to Integra after reading about them in Stereophile Guide to Home Theater. Nice stuff, but just a tad expensive for the Pre-pro. What impressed me about the B&K was the upgradability and the price, and most importantly, it sounded great. I kind of like the video switching, too, which rules out the Bryston. I've never really liked the sound from Parasound, so I'd rather not go there. One question though, for Samski: shouldn't the separate pre-pro Ref-30 sound better than the receiver just on the basis that it has its own box and power supply--removed from the amplifiers? Anyway, thanks all for the recommendations and article references. I'll be sure to check out Classe, Sunfire and Integra again.
B K Reference 30 Audio/Video Preamp
Okay, I just got this thing set up. Sounds awesome. But the little voice in the back of my head is telling me that I'm missing something. I've listened to the Bryston SP-1, Lexicon(take your pick which model), Parasound, Acurus, Aragon, California Audio Labs. What it comes down to is cost. The stuff that sounds better, like the Bryston, costs a lot more. Does anyone know of any other Pre-processor in the B&K price range that I should listen to before my return period runs out? Thanks all, for any suggestions.