The question is how good will your int. amp sound as a stand alone pre-amp? I own a few Rotel pieces and I find them to be great value and sound good. (W/just a few simple/inexpensive mods, will sound much, much better.) You could find a Rotel RB-990/991 amp. That would fall ino your budget. See how things sound. Then you'll end up selling the int. amp and buying a dedicated Rotel pre-amp. RC-990/995. Then things will sound even better! You have another choice, try an older RB-951/RB-951 MkII for $100. Sweet and great sounding little amp. Only 50w per ch., but don't lett the numbers fool you. Then find a matching older RC-970/980BX pre-amp. I have a feeling this combo may sound as good or better than an int. amp for alot less. Good Luck!
