Should I add a 2 ch preamp to my HT system


Hello All,

I have a slight upgrade bug going and thought I would ask your advice. I currently use my system for 50/50 HT 2ch. It consists of Marantz Sr8000, Anthem MCA 50, Paradigm studio 80's front, studio 40's rear and, cc. I am currently listening to more 2 channel now than I ever had and was wondering if a good preamp would really boost my 2 ch listening. I was thinking of upgrading to a AvM 20 for both Ht/2ch but after reading some posts I thought I might get better results with a quality 2 ch preamp. My budget would be $1500-2000. Thanks for any advice.
89lotus
I spent lots of time integrating a 2 channel system with a HT multichannel system. My goal was to completely preserve the 2 channel path that I had worked to achieve. Basically, the front left and right outputs from an EAD theatermaster pro are output to one of the inputs a Placette dual mono preamp. My two channel sources are routed directly to the preamp. I've seen lots of people mess up a great 2 channel setup when the combine it with home theater. I recommend keeping the 2 channel path as clean as possible.
Nix the pre/pro, get a quality stereo preamp with a HT bypass. You'll never look back, I didn't. May I suggest a Classe CP-60, or a Sonic Frontiers Line 2, if you're into tubes.

Regards,
John
Why not try it, maybe a tubed pre or a good passive pre, Both should give you a little spice in your life. Your amp and speakers are good enough for the upgrade.

Dave