Maggie 1.6/QR pre-amp for 29.95

The VTL 2.5 is an excellent preamp. I own one paired with Portal Paladin monoblocks to drive my 1.6s. Be aware, it is a very basic remote providing volume control and mute only.

I'd reccommend a VTL 2.5 tubed preamp. It has HT bypass,a beautiful machined aluminum remote and the introduction of tubes to your system will give a more palpable,realistic and dimensional sound to all your music as well as Home Theater. Used units sell for under $1,000 here on Audiogon and they hold their value. I was all solid state when I bought one of these and it was the best change I made to my system. There are other alternatives, of course, but I definitely think you'd like what tubed preamps do. Good luck!

Is your Home Theater separate from your stereo? The requirement for the remote will nix some good choices on a preamp as there are some good ones in the $1K area and below without a remote. If you are using your Maggies as part of the Home Theater system, then I can understand the "must" requirement for the remote.

One of the very best SS preamps you can buy for any amount of money, with a remote, is the Aragon Stage One. They are usually available for sale on a weekly basis on Audiogon. Aragon, now out of business, made the best preamps, period. They were too good, built to last forever, the build quality was off the scale and the electronics so far advanced they put everything else to shame. So what happened? They couldn't make any real money on them so they stopped production when they were under the ownership of Klipsch.

Before closing, they made the MacDaddy of all preamps, a genuine audiophile preamp for Home Theater Use with a REMOTE, no less. You might as well spend a few more bucks and go broke. At least you'll have a top-shelf, superb preamp and one you can brag on with pride.

I own one and recommend it as part of the Home Theater Setup or as a "must have" component in an Audiophile analog stereo system. My second choice is also an Aragon. Their amps are beyond description as well, but that is another story altogether.

I have a Denon 7.1 Receiver for my home theater setup and I am not as happy as I was hoping I would be. It's OK for music for the masess.

http://www.avrev.com/equip/aragonstageone/index.html

Check it out Robert and good luck to you sir. Mike