An AVR's amps are typically not very powerful (WPC specifications are usually for 1 or 2 channels driven, with a significant drop when multiple channels are driven), which means less dynamics and actual power to your speakers.
Technology is rapidly changing, so your AVR/preamp will become obsolete a lot faster than your amp. Being able to keep a nice amp and upgrade just the processor section if there's some new feature you want/need is nice. I think this is the 3rd processor I've used with my current 5 channel home theater amp.
To get the best of both worlds, consider an audio only preamp that has a home theater bypass option. This setup can provide a much better two channel listening experience than using a home theater receiver or processor plus amp.
Whether you have a receiver or separate amp home theater processor setup, there's a lot of crap packed into either one of those units, mostly cheap circuit boards and not much room for high quality parts. Lots of compromise and a focus towards a kitchen sink of features, as opposed to a focus on sound quality.
Technology is rapidly changing, so your AVR/preamp will become obsolete a lot faster than your amp. Being able to keep a nice amp and upgrade just the processor section if there's some new feature you want/need is nice. I think this is the 3rd processor I've used with my current 5 channel home theater amp.
To get the best of both worlds, consider an audio only preamp that has a home theater bypass option. This setup can provide a much better two channel listening experience than using a home theater receiver or processor plus amp.
Whether you have a receiver or separate amp home theater processor setup, there's a lot of crap packed into either one of those units, mostly cheap circuit boards and not much room for high quality parts. Lots of compromise and a focus towards a kitchen sink of features, as opposed to a focus on sound quality.