2. amps-preamps
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Still lost on my pre amp, can anyone help?

I've had a few posts in the past and it's reccommended that I change my pre amp and potentially power amp to get the sound I'm looking for out of my Studio 100's (Pre amp is Pioneer SC27, Power Amp is B&K 200.3).

Here's my question:
Are there any pre amps that sound great for music, but can also be good for HT? Or do I need to get a dedicated 2 channel pre with HT pass through? I'm more interested in music (80/20), but my room is used for both music and HT since I don't have space to separate the two.

My current setup sounds terrible for 2 channel music. Everyone says I need to ditch the Pioneer, but I'm not exactly where to go from here.I'm not able to listen before I buy so I'm relying on your experience. I've got my power amps narrowed down to Bryston 4b-ST, Odyssey Stratos, or maybe Anthem.
chad329
9 responses Add your response
realremo
460 posts
 
"The 2 channel pre amp will not integrate a subwoofer. Do they make pre amps with more channels for this function?"

Parasound 2100 and Emotiva USP-1 both have HT pass-thru and can run subs with variable crossovers. Anthem TLP-1 has HT pass-thru and can run subs, but the crossover is fixed at 80Hz.
The Musical Fidelity A5 has HT pass-thru but no bass management. I know the A3's had multiple problems with the volume pots, I don't know if the A5's shared the same design.
chad329 OP
13 posts
 
The Musical Fidelity A5 or A5.5 looks attractive in the used price range. Any experience with this integrated amp that has bypass features?
chad329 OP
13 posts
 
The other option is to ditch my Pioneer altogether and get something that does 2 channel and HT well. If I go this route, my budget is around 2k. I was looking at the Arcam AV9 for example. This seems to work for 2 channel playback and HT.

The 2 channel pre amp will not integrate a subwoofer. Do they make pre amps with more channels for this function?
chad329 OP
13 posts
 
Budget depends on if I get rid of my current Pioneer receiver or keep it and just get a dedicated 2 channel pre amp with HT bypass. For dedicated pre, if I could keep it under 1k that would be good.
joenies's avatar
joenies
258 posts
 
What kid of cables are you using? Upgrading cables can make a huge difference (IMO).
The Bryston 4BST (Lexicon 225) is a good amp, I have one I used for years, it now is a spare.
There are many great pre-amp with bypass out ther, what is your budget?
Always try to go with the best and you will never be disapointed.
Joe Nies
wilsynet's avatar
wilsynet
264 posts
 
Modwright SWL 9.0 SE. Used. Roughly fits your budget, great for two channel, has HT bypass.

You'll be happy. Really.
sibelius
256 posts
 
Not sure what your budget is, but I had at one time a Cary SLP-98 that had home theater pass thru. Never used it in that capacity but you generally can pick these up used for under $2000 and IMO it would help "warm up" the sound of the Solid State amps you listed. I thought the Cary was a good value for the money.
arni
313 posts
 
Why not keep the Pioneer for movies, and find a good pre-amp (or integrated amp to simplify) with a Hometheater bypass/pass-through?
nguyen357
51 posts
 
What's your budget here? for under $1000, nothing will do better than Proceed AVP. The only concerned you might have is the age issue. For 2-channel music, the Proceed outdone a lot of Pre-Amps out there, look up the reviews. I used it for a number of years before upgraded to APV2. I am willing to give up HDMI processing and stick with it until Today.
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