Receiver vs Processor

Check out the latest Home Theater magazine. Great comparisons of high end receivers with mid level preamp/amp combos. The same differences would be found at all levels.
DC-1 with a strong 5 channel amp is the best value and combo on the market today. I am a HUGE advocate of the DC-1 in surround, and for less than $1,000 it SMOKES any processor, including the Cal Audio, CBI, CBII, McIntosh, and the other likes. I have had them all, the DC-1 is it!
You can find inexpensive 5 channel amps that are very good from the likes of Rotel, Chiro (out of business, but makes the best 5 channel amp for the $ in the used market) and even Parasound and some Acurus.

With a DC-1 and 5 channel amp for less than $2,000 that combo would not only blow the receivers out of the water, provide upgrade path to amps that will only be better!

Dan

I dissagree with the Porscchecab. ESPECIALLY if your just doing home theater, really your going to find better value in a receiver as your pre/pro, simply because they're clean enough, and they have so so many inputs/features for the money! Prices are so competetive in that arena, that you can get a jam packed feature loaded receiver for not to much money! And the preamp sections and processors in them are clean enough to give you very clean sound!...at least as clean or refined as what's comming of the not so special sounding Lexicon DC1 pre/pro! That unit just sounds like another plain vanilla digital pre/pro to me!...and all the reviewers will agree on that if you read the reviews on the DC1!
Even the Acurus ACT 3 or Classe SSP25 were sonically MUCH MUCH CLEANER AND MORE REFINED SOUNDING than any of the marginally decent sounding Lexicons!
I would submit to you that for your purposes and or budget(although, yes, you could get even more refined sound with lower noise floor, etc, with a more expensive outboard prepro) a receiver would work very well for your purposes! If you can, you might want to go around and listen to some of the pieces out there for things like overall sound, background noise level, features, etc, all at different price points. You may find you can find a killer receiever for your purposes that's fairly inexpensive comparatively!
Good luck

But Chilidog, I am going to side with Porschecab as far as getting a dedicated "pre/pro" is concerned. I am saying that because he already has a two channel power amp and a multichannel one as well, so he does not need to put any money toward the internal amplifiers that a receiver is going to provide if he's not going to be using them. Instead, why can't use the same money that he would've otherwise use for paying for the internal amplifiers for a receiver and use it to pay for some refinement in a "pre/pro" instead?? Outlaw supposedly makes a killer "pre/pro" that retails for less than $1,000.00. I don't think it can do THX or Ultra THX. But I am quite sure it can do 5.1, 6.1, and 7.1. And I know for certain is has component and composite video inputs. If I am putting together a setup like what "Tbone" is putting together, I don't think I would waste all of that performance and refinement by using a receiver. Not when there's the Outlaw Pre/Pro out there.

--Charles--

I would suggest that you check out the Sherwood Newcastle Home Theater Processor(AV9080). Audiogon has some listed for under $500.00.Check the Sherwood website for their new updated processor also.