Rev,
The Emotiva amps have gotten great reviews and I hope that you have many years of great use out of the unit! There are many, many quality pre-pros out there that offer tremendous value. Once you are going the way of separates, it does cost more that just a receiver. However, the sound quality you get generally is worth the added cost. Plus, in the long run, when technology changes, you can just change the processor while still keeping your amplifier.
Now to your question:
1) Since you have an Emotiva poweramp, why not just buy the complementary Preamp/processor from Emotiva? They are having a special on the older version, the UMC-1 and that includes a big discount coupon--40% off-- to upgrade to the XMC-1. That seems like the most logical choice. You then only spend $499 now and can upgrade to the newer model whenever you want and not lose any $$.
2) If you are looking for a more mainstream name brand, then Marantz, Onkyo, and Integra come to mind right off the bat. You can likely get used models down in the $500-$800 range.
3) If you are not interested in HDMI switching, then you can go for higher end units like Anthem and look at the AVM20 or AVM30 (possibly even the 40 which has HDMI 1.1).
I'm not sure what your actual budget is. If it is for anything less than $500, then you are looking at an Anthem AVM20 or an older Onkyo, Integra, or Marantz.
If, however, you are willing to go another route, you can pickup an older, high end receiver that has pre-outs. Receivers like Marantz and Pioneer definitely have 5.1 or 7.1 pre-outs that allow you to use only the pre-amp portion and use an external, higher powered amplifier. You can likely pickup some of the older units for $200-$400. That, I think, would be the cheapest direction of all. Then you can save your $$$ and buy a better preamp down the road.
I think you have lots of good options, it just boils down to how much $$$ you are able and willing to spend right now.
The Emotiva amps have gotten great reviews and I hope that you have many years of great use out of the unit! There are many, many quality pre-pros out there that offer tremendous value. Once you are going the way of separates, it does cost more that just a receiver. However, the sound quality you get generally is worth the added cost. Plus, in the long run, when technology changes, you can just change the processor while still keeping your amplifier.
Now to your question:
1) Since you have an Emotiva poweramp, why not just buy the complementary Preamp/processor from Emotiva? They are having a special on the older version, the UMC-1 and that includes a big discount coupon--40% off-- to upgrade to the XMC-1. That seems like the most logical choice. You then only spend $499 now and can upgrade to the newer model whenever you want and not lose any $$.
2) If you are looking for a more mainstream name brand, then Marantz, Onkyo, and Integra come to mind right off the bat. You can likely get used models down in the $500-$800 range.
3) If you are not interested in HDMI switching, then you can go for higher end units like Anthem and look at the AVM20 or AVM30 (possibly even the 40 which has HDMI 1.1).
I'm not sure what your actual budget is. If it is for anything less than $500, then you are looking at an Anthem AVM20 or an older Onkyo, Integra, or Marantz.
If, however, you are willing to go another route, you can pickup an older, high end receiver that has pre-outs. Receivers like Marantz and Pioneer definitely have 5.1 or 7.1 pre-outs that allow you to use only the pre-amp portion and use an external, higher powered amplifier. You can likely pickup some of the older units for $200-$400. That, I think, would be the cheapest direction of all. Then you can save your $$$ and buy a better preamp down the road.
I think you have lots of good options, it just boils down to how much $$$ you are able and willing to spend right now.