Help deciding on DD/DTS Pre-amp

The Nakamichi CA-1 (with or without DTS option) is very nice. I spent a lot of time listening to the Classe SSP-25 and other units in the $2000-$5000 range and ultimately bought a CA-1. It has great bass management features, dull-zone option, tape loop, true 20-bit ladder D/A converters on all six channels, and a novel gain/balance control. And while the CA-1 has fewer processor bells and whistles (e.g., no "stadium" or ambiance effects) than some of the other units in the same price range, it still has the best overall performance of any of the units I auditioned. One nice feature of the CA-1 is that audio signals from 2-channel analog sources are passed straight through without processing. Nearly all other pre/pros convert 2-channel analog signals to digital through A/Ds then recovert to analog through the D/A converters before sending the signal to the amp. This degrades the sound. The pure analog pass-through helps makes the CA-1 a fine analog pre-amp and one of the best pre/pros ever made for listening to 2-channel music through your 5.1 DD/DTS surround system. It's also nice to look at and is built well. You can probably pick one up at a bargain price (e.g., $1000 or less) on internet auctions and classifieds. I've been told Nakamichi has stopped making the CA-1, following a shift in focus from high-end to the more lucrative midling market. So I don't know if brand new CA-1s are still available. My second choice was the Classe SSP-25. I thought the SSP-25's 2-channel ANALOG performance was not quite as good as that of the CA-1 -- I found the CA-1 to be smoother and warmer, and to have a little better bass performance. On the other hand, the SSP-25's DIGITAL/processed sound (using pseudo "24-bit" D/As was comparable to the CA-1's and even seemed to have slightly greater resolution of detail (though at the apparent expense of adding a little grain). I haven't auditioned any pre/pros that have come on the market in the past year, so there may be newer and better options out there in this rapidly evolving market.

If you don't want to spend much (less than $1,700 used mint) and don't need video switching I would look into the Meridian 565. It is not very user friendly and there is only 1 or 2 digital inputs but if it is the latest version, 6.1 or better I believe and has DTS than you cannot do any better for movies and stereo at this price. Compared to the Lexicon MC-1 (which is awesome for movies by the way but lacks in stereo) the Meridian 565 was just as good as the MC-1 in 7 channel mode but the bass was more robust and dynamic with the Meridian. It is a pain in the butt to use but the audio is still first class for the price. If you wanted to get something even nicer (around $3,500 used) get the Proceed AVP. The AVP is an great unit. The 5 year warranty is transferable, software/hardware upgradeable , extremely easy to use and built like a tank. Good Luck

I just sold my B&K Ref 20 for a cheaper Marantz AV9000 because the B&K does not a 5.1 analog input for my Toshiba SD-9200 DVD Audio. In terms of their performance I am surpriced a bit because I found the Marantz to be better than the B&K specially in DTS. But that maybe just in my set-up, so audition both of them if possible. One last thing the Marantz have a component video switching, but you can just consider that a bonus. Just my opinion, goodluck hunting.

Listened to Proceed AVP $5000, Classe SSP25 $3000, Rotel 976 $1200, and TagMclaren AV32R $4000 Today. Proceed is very nice but maybe a little too much money. Classe sounded excellent and is closer to my range. TagMclaren I had never heard of before today, sounded nice, looked nice, but I just dont know. Rotel did not compare I would prefer to listen to a little higher model before counting them out, maybe. I will check out the Nakamichi and the Meridian thanks for the great suggestions.

TAG McLaren is very good - great in 5.1, outstanding with music, and it's upgradeable (software and hardware). They are very well respected in Europe but are relatively new in the US. Well known for quality and service.