Need recommendations on the following processors


Music 40% Home Theater 60%

Looking used right now.

Classe SSP-25 or 50
Anthem AVP 20
Aragon Soundstage
Lexicon DC-1
Sunfire Theater Grand

Any others you recommend would be great as well.

Regards,
Craig
craigt
I was in your position a couple of months ago and decided to get the Integra Research RDC-7. Great review in both music and movie. The best upgrade program (together with Tag) that I ever heard of. They are shipping with DTS-ES, Pro Logic II, Neo... (their last upgrade) and there is an upgrade coming anytime which will improve bass management (biggest drawback of this pre-pro is the fixed crossover at THX's 60Hz), change some hardware...
Considering that you're a 60% Home Theater guy (like me), I would seriously consider this Pre-Pro. It also has balanced outputs for all channels, 7.1 analog inputs for DVD-A and SACD and great measurements on Stereo music playback...
I own the Lexicon DC1...its a great piece, but far too outdated for you to buy...I am concidering the Anthem myself, but haven't made a final decision.
Sean, you should have grabbed the Primare P30 from his pickup bed and ran as fast as you could! :)

Interesting story.
Any idea what the McCormack is going to retail for ?

I went to an audio auction last week Saturday. A shop in Chicago was "assumed" by the bank and they auctioned off the assets. Since this shop carried Primare, i went there with the intentions of picking up their processor based on Stehno's comments. As it turns out, all of the Primare stuff went to one gentleman who had NO idea as to what he was bidding on. Most of it went VERY cheaply. It seemed that once he started bidding, most of the competition shrivelled up. As it turns out, he was a "bazillionaire" and could afford to outbid anyone on anything that he wanted. What was a $4000 processor went home with him for $800. Needless to say, i didn't waste my time or his bidding against him. The bad part is that he took all of this stuff and literally started tossing it into the bed of his pick-up truck : (

I started talking to him later and he had NO idea what he was going to do with this stuff or how to hook it up. He was looking for a "stereo" for his "apartment" and wanted to know if i could hook everything up for him. While it might have been a good opportunity for me to "network", i've got too much other stuff to do ( like posting here on Audiogon : ) Sean
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Of those in your list, I'm guessing the Classe to be the only one capable of a class A rating.

I'm using a Primare P30 pre/pro in my 2.1 channel system and believe it to be a first rate performer sonically. It's a no frills, no thrills, bare-boned pre/pro designed with a music first approach. I've found it to be sonically superior when compared to 3 stereo preamps I've A/B compared in my home and one of them was very highly rated. The P30 also has 100% analog in 2-channel by-pass mode.

McCormack has a brand new pre/pro with a music first approach. If I were in the market for a pre/pro today, I'd check out the McCormack before any other unit.