Pre Amp Help

Well, I bought the Adcom GTP-500 tuner, because I ended up with a winning bid of $120.00 on ebay (with original box, remote and manual). Figured I couldn't go wrong at that price, and should be able to sell the Integra for more. The Integra is a decent A/V receiver, but my thought is that it is also full of electronics that I don't need, such as the "Home Theater" 6.1 surround sound circuitry, the internal DAC, and the various electronics dedicated to various digital effects, such as "Concert Hall", "Dolby", "Theater", etc. The Integra is also geared to multi-zone/multi-room use, and I'm guessing there is unnecessary circuitry there as well. My (uneducated) reasoning is that the Adcom pre-amp/tuner was designed for 2-channel (audiophile, more or less) listening, and thus would have fewer and higher quality components, geared to that purpose. Also, the Adcom was made in the U.S., which I automatically assume (???) means better quality than the Malasyian-made (ughh)Integra. I've always heard the more direct the path, the better for the audio signal; I guess the ears will be the judge. Someone tell me I did the right thing...

Definately go with the B&K PT3 preamp/tuner. I once had one hooked up to a McCormack amp with excellent results.

Borrow something from another local audionut and use that to help you decide.

Photon's comments make good sense, and without getting into specific brands etc., I'd guess that replacing the Adcom would make a surprising amount of difference.

How efficient are the KEFs & have ever tried a tube amp or pre? Cheers,
Spencer

You're asking a question that has objective and subjective answers. Objectively, there's no doubt that separates will offer better performance. However, I think you're going to have to step higher up the audio chain than Adcom and B&K to have gear obviously superior to your Onkyo reciever. If and when you upgrade source and speakers, you'll also hear greater differences in amplification upgrades. As to whether it is "worth the switch," well that's the subjective part. Only you know your priorities about where disposable income is best spent.