How to get 2 Channel and Home theater in one packa

One commonly accepted approach is to use a receiver as the surround amplifier and a separate preamp/amp combination for two channel. You need a receiver with preamp outs and you feed the left and right channels to the preamp. Then you have a marking on the preamp volume that allows for a repeatable setup of all of the surround channels. The receiver volume controls the volume of all channels when doing surround. I have a Harman Kardon receiver for surround and a Parasound preamp / Legacy power amp combination for 2 channel. I think it works well.

I greatly enjoy both HT and music on the follwing:

Krell Showcase DVD
Krell kav-400xi
Totem Hawk (hoping to be Wind in the future)

2 quality channels have replaced the need for the quantity of 5. I've done the full blown 5.1 & even 7.1 set-ups (spreading money thinner on lesser gear) and I don't miss them at all!

Anthem avm-20 with matching 5 channel amp should fit in the budget (used).

I think a Linar model 10 multi-channel integrated amp and a quality universal player would be a cool setup.

Enjoy,

TIC

I've tried many configurations to accomplish what you're seeking. The one I have now is by far the best and most cost effective.

I have a separate 2ch preamp, and a pre/pro. I'm using a Lexicon DC-1 which I find is quite nice for the money and more than satisfactory for my purposes and budget. There are many others including this one that will fit your budget IMO. For speakers, I have Von Schweikerts all around. VR4-genIII's for mains and 2 channel; LCR-15 center, VR-3's for the rear, and a Rel sub for LFE. I run the front L/R channel outs to one of my 2ch preamp inputs. In my case I don't have processor passthru on my pre, so I calibrate the pre/pro volume with my preamp volume set at 12 o'clock (see my thread that discussed this at length - I got some good input from our fellow Agon'ers.

With this setup my 2 channel and HT share the same main power amp and speakers. It is optimized for 2 channel. If you prefer to optimize for HT, you may just go with a better pre/pro with 2 channel bypass and leave out the 2 ch preamp. For HT, you only need the add'l Ctr and Rr speakers and amps. You could accomplish this also using a HT receiver as described above too.

For pre/pro choices I suggest you search the archives to see what options fit your needs/budget. Likewise for 2 ch pre and amps. If you're not opposed to used I think your budget will easily set you up nicely. Other decisions you'll have to make are whether to go with a multi-champ, or separates. There are good options either way.

Here's the thread discussing passthru setup.
[url]http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?bhome&1144327521&openmine&zzBdgregory&4&5#Bdgregory[/url]