ADVICE Please: Best Processor under $3K?

I'll take Tag McLaren for 800. :)

IMO, I would take 6 and 3 in that order. However, I would definately consider Meridian to go to the top as well. The 568 is a smokin component.

Yeah, I just came from my 2nd demo of the new Audyssey outboard EQ today, at a speaker engineer's home. WOW! this thing is EASILY the most potent room correction/EQ on the market right now, period! This thing is a MUST HAVE for anyone serious about setting up superior home theater/audio systems.
While I've not yet been able to try one in my own system, nor compare it to other high end parametric EQ's (like Rives PARC, and TACT system's, which I'm familiar with), I must say, this thing does INFINITELY more than anything out there for the home market right now! It corrects for things that only extensive room acoustics and engineering, even equipment upgrades would only have fixed/adressed in the past. It appears to be a modern miracle of engineering for electronics/acoustics.
I'm surely going to delve much deeper into this matter, and see where my travels go with the Audyssey.
Right now, I'd pick the better sounding pre's on the market, and add the Audyssey!

http://www.outlawaudio.com/ For the money...

Not a bunch of features but it provides what you need

I home auditioned the Outlaw 990 to replace my Proceed AVP2/CVP2 because the Proceed is no longer supported (at least no more software updates) and because the Outlaw offers a complete set of balanced outputs and HDMI switching. I discovered there really is a difference between a $6000 processor (that I bought used for under $3K) and a $1000 processor. There was just no comparison. So I sent the Outlaw back. They were very easy to work with though - and they paid the return shipping.