Help! Receiver or preamp? Im overwhelmed...


I need some help. Been gone for years and much has changed and Im just overwhelmed with the years of info on the forums. I dont want to make a foolish decision and would so appreciate the communities gracious knowledge and assistance.

Im 75% music and 25% HT. 

Gear:
Paradigm Studio 100 v4 mains Paradigm CC690 center 
Paradigm V2monitor surrounds
SVS PB13 Ultra Sub
Emotiva XPA 5 amp (200x5)
Keeping all the above

The old 5 channel Rotel HT1055 receiver (no HDMI) needs to upgrade even though I love the sound! Im fine with 5.1 and not interested in Atmos. Im also fine with a used item. What do you reccomend for some killer sound and updated HDMI?

jsbranham7
Hello, I haven’t experience to advise you, but I have read one interesting article about Preamp vs Receiver – Detailed Comparison.
Marantz is the best sound I’ve ever used.I bought them on eBay a year ago and they are still in perfect condition.
Seems like you like the Rotel sound. With music your main priority, Why spend the money on a video upgrade which may introduce a possible audio downgrade? You can get a 4K 4x1 HDMI switcher for about $300. It will have a 5.1 digital output to connect to the Rotel. Use rest of budget for bi wire or something.
You might find it interesting to disconnect your rears for a bit and use those channels to see how good the studio 100 would sound bi amped 
Come to think of it, you could bi amp the 100s and power rears with the Rotel 
This may not suit your purposes, but I don’t use the video portion of my preamp for purposes of convenience. All HDMI sources are routed directly to my display and I use the Toslink output of the display to forward the sound into my 2.0 setup. You could also use the S/PDIF outs from each video source to the Digital inputs of your Rotel.
I actually found that audio over HDMI sounds a little edgy and fatiguing. When I first heard audio via HDMI, I called up the local HiFi shop and asked their resident audiophiles; they told me they preferred S/PDIF to HDMI for the same reasons.
Since you like the sound from your Rotel and if HDMI switching is necessary, I’d suggest staying with Rotel for a replacement, preferably a preamp, depending on what you are willing to pay. As always, I recommend used gear. These things depreciate faster than a new car, especially when newer features & formats are added.