Comparison between high end preamp and av processor?

So have learned it’s difficult to integrate hifi and ht with hope of achieving the best SQ. 

No, it’s really not difficult at all and many of us here have done it and not experienced the sound degradation you are.  This doesn’t make sense to me and sounds like something might not be hooked up right.  How specifically do you have the preamp wired into your system, and what components are you using (including interconnects)?  Something’s not right here. 

I always ran them separately to optimize both- different needs. At one point I had two Mid-Atlantic racks 6 feet high stuffed with gear for home theatre, and like a crazy man, was running all ARC tube amps except for the multiple woofers, in an old school projection system using Meridian gear on the front end for theatre. I even had these cool, old school monitors that rack mounted and could see two sources at once. It was a significant build out and not my first one, either.
The hi-fi required different placement of the speakers rather than L C R for theatre and I was less interested in being able to reproduce volcano eruptions and T-Rex stomping on the hi-fi. I guess you could do it and reach a happy medium; my gut reaction is that you are going to compromise in one direction or another, but perhaps not.
I kind of lost interest in super duper home theatre-- that’s an area where there has been real trickle down. Line doublers used to cost 15k, big projectors were double that and well, you could go nuts on the sound for picture stuff. Now, I’m pretty happy in my dotage with a big OLED and small home theatre running a McI basic amp and a 5.1 speaker set up with a good sub. At some point, I’ll upgrade the processor but run 4k straight into the TV. The cost of the home theatre stuff has not only come down dramatically but is there still a market for hi end home theatre processors? At one point, there were quite a few prepros that were comparable in price to a very good line stage or more. I guess I’m getting old, or willing to settle for less on the home theatre front, but the source material is better (in some cases) and the performance for dollar or yen or whatever has improved as time has gone on. I can’t say the same for hi-fi.
My viewing habits also changed. Yes, we watch in a dark room, backlit, but I don’t have a whole room just dedicated to a theatre any more. Just don’t use space that way.
The hi-fi has a dedicated room and then some, for records, cleaning equipment, etc.

No problem.   
Just run seperately.
OK, it’s a secret.
Of course you can go down on BrokeBack Mountain.
Don't bother enjoying multichannel SACD's.
Nobody's marketing them.
Just winning Grammy's.

Same here Mac gear works well together. I'm using a C2500, and a MX150 (no upgrade, you loose the GOOD tone control) MX151.

Like I said on the other thread, you have to have good cabling between the two.. If you play through on a Mac to a Mac, you still hear a difference. Is it bad? NO! Not as good though.

It plays through either or neither. Mac is nice that way...

I just like stereo, always have.. I like some of the 3 speaker stuff, MY stuff.. Usually the 3rd speaker in the middle is way to small for one thing it actually need to be as GOOD as the mains or BETTER...  That center speaker when voiced correctly, can really make a wonderful sounding system.. It takes a couple of weeks to get use to it.. And tune it in..

Trinaural processor, is pretty cool.. I just like Macs better...

Regards

I have mcintosh mx122 processor and a separate mcintosh pre amp. There is a switch I hit that lets the HT pass through and use the pre amp and amps for the mains. There is no telling any difference whatsoever 

I have mcintosh mx122 processor and a separate mcintosh pre amp. There is a switch I hit that lets the HT pass through and use the pre amp and amps for the mains. There is no telling any difference whatsoever 

Wow what a system us have.

but I don’t do 7 channel.  Only mains and center.  So I am closer to apples to apples.  Are you proposing two sets of mains and amps? Is keeping hifi and ht separate the only way?  I have never seen people with two sets of mains.

So have learned it’s difficult to integrate hifi and ht with hope of achieving the best SQ.  So thinking about getting a high end processor, eg NAD, Maestr, to get great hifi sound.  Problem I have had is that ht sq suffers when signal passes thru a line stage preamp when doing ht bypass.  So get better hifi but ht sq suffers. Sucks!!

Correct. Although you are the first person in the history of audio to say it's the stereo screwing up HT sound quality. It's the HT sound quality that sucks. Period. Running it through a line stage only makes it slightly more sucky.

And combining HT will continue to suck, no matter how much time and money you throw at all the many guaranteed (not) to work "solutions". That is why all the guys who are serious (and loaded) wind up with 2 separate systems.

There is however one very simple and obvious solution that really does achieve both quality sound and video. All it requires is to break free of all the marketing mind control. Where in the world is it stated that movies require 7 channels? That the seamless sound stage that can be achieved with 2 speakers somehow requires 7 just because, video? This is so obviously marketing driven drivel I'm surprised anyone still falls for it. 

So here you go. Do this. https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/8367
Done. You're welcome.