Two years ago Avitar I did the same thing you're contemplating. I sold a SF Line 1 and a modest receiver based HT system, and bought a Meridian 561 pre/pro. Since then I have bought new L/R speakers, and made some other changes to improve two channel playback, but have been limited by my 561. I looked into the 568 as an upgrade, but as John_1 mentions pre/pros loose their value very quickly and become a bottleneck to upgrading your digital front end in the future. This past weekend I auditioned an ARC LS25 preamp with my Meridian 508.24 (used as a transport today w/561). The transformation was dramatic. If you're priority is music use a quality two channel analog preamp and pair it with a less expensive pre/pro, something like a used Lexicon DC-1 for movies. Many preamps today have a processor input that allows your pre/pro to control the volume of the L/R channels during movie playback.
Pre-amp or Pre-pro,, which one to get ?
I have been putting together a system. Here's what I want the pre (amp or pro)to go with. B&W N805's with HTM2 center, a Belles 3 channel 150A, an Arcam alpha 8se and a Sony C650D DVD player. I have rears and a sub too. Right now I am using a Marantz SR7000 to drive the rears and as the pre-pro. I would like to improve my 2 channel sound (HT is already good enough). Are there Pre-amps that somehow have a pass through for a separate surround sound processor? Would I be better off getting a really good 2 channel preamp or a pre-pro (like a Proceed AVP)? Someone suggested using a Vandy processor? Please give your suggestions....