What's good used 5.1pre/pro for $1500 or less

I am looking to upgrade my pre/processor from a B&K Ref 30. I need a processor that supports multichannel sacd/dvd audio BUT I listen to a lot of music in two channel which is very important to me. My budget can go a little higher than $1500.00. What pre/processor combines great two channel sound along with good multichannel capabilities?

Disortion:

I believe the EAD Encore used the Crystal Semi CS4226 20-bid delta sigma. Hence, the sound was quite a bit different from the Burr Brown in the ovation.

Harry

I searched through a little reference materials on the two EAD products. I am now unsure which DACs went into what. It seems that only the "signature" model got independent PCM DACs.

It appears these two models (Encore and Ovation) use a single chip for A-to-D and D-to-A. So with that in mind, Harry may be on to something. The more the signal is manipulated by the DAC obviously the more important the quality of the DAC becomes. Though, I still stand by my original assertion that the quality of the total package is more of a factor than the model number of the DACs.

Nevertheless, I will leave the comparison of the two EAD products (Ovation v. Encore) to those who have more experience with them. I have heard the Ovation, and I am pretty sure I have heard the Encore. Not serious listening, just in passing. I remember liking what I heard. Dont recall if it was through the built in DACs though.

There are a few other questions worthy of looking at. Do/will you need a 5.1 analog input for SACD/DVD-A? What about PLII? What is/are the Subwoofer controls, especially for 2 channel?

I got really really close to buying a Classe SSP-30. It was a nice sounding unit. I would bet the SSP-50 that Johnc mentions is a serious contender in this price range. I believe that was Classe's top Processor at the time.

The differences between the Ovation, Encore, Theatermaster, Theatermaster pro, and Signature series can be a touch complex...but important because they do have different sound and features. The website (www.eadusa.com) has a section on past products that outlines the features of each. My first unit was an Ovation-8 with upgraded Theatermaster 8000pro software. It was sonically outstanding, but not as good as the 8800pro. None of the older units have PLII which was introduced on the 8800pro.

If you post specific questions about the different models here, perhaps owners of those models can provide some input.

Harry