B&K Ref 30 or Anthem AV2

Ref30 is newer than the AVM2, which to me is an advantage. Anthem gives you balanced outputs, B&K doesn't. For most uses, that won't make any sonic difference. Now, if you're talking about the new Anthem AVM20 vs. the Ref30, that's a whole different discussion. You're more likely to find the Ref30 and AVM2 available used though, the AVM20 is still too new. The AVM20 bundles everything but the kitchen sink, and lists at $3200, while the Ref30 lists somewhere around $2800. I ended up choosing the Ref30 recently and it fits my needs pretty well. Not sure how the AVM20 would sound with audio, but it has just about every home theater feature you can dream of, and on paper it looks great... I suggest you find a dealer and personally evaluate products from B&K and Anthem.

Never heard the Anthem, but the B&K is a little lacking when it comes to 2ch listening. I used to own one and upgraded it to the Proceed AVP. I know the Proceed is older technology, but for my 2ch listening tastes it provides phenominal sound.

I never auditioned the Anthem, but I own a B&K and the 2ch listening is great! I use the B&K Ref 30/Ref 7250 combo and the Martin Logan Aerius i. The sound is awsome (at least for my ears). The B&K has a great feature which is the ability to choose how many speakers you want to use together with the listening modes (mono, stereo, surround, etc.) With this you have unlimited combinations, like 4 speakers stereo (sends the stereo signal to front left, front right, rear left and rear right), let's say, for a party...

Thanks for the feedback! I tried out both pre-amps and actually decided to go up one notch to the AVM20. Better features at a nice price. Thanks!