Lexicon MC-12, Anthem AVM-20, B &K Ref 30?

Front end electronics, that includes: media players, media recorders and A/V processors, is in a state of flux due to the plethora of competing recording standards used to produce digital based media. This situation is evidenced by the onslaught of upgrades that follow a year after a new product release.

As time progresses its is going to get more confusing as the media formats that creep into our libraries become more diverse. So for now, my advice is: spend more on the loudspeakers, where you can hear the most difference for the dollar spent and where planned obsolesce is not built into the design.

Plan to replace front end equipment every five years. Do not kill your pocketbook on tomorrows junk. In this setting, even the Anthem AVM-20 (my choice) may be overkill.

Divide the cost of the front end equipment by 60 (its useful life in months). When this amount exceeds that spent monthly for media, cable connection, Internet access and live entertainment, then ask yourself, is it worth it, just to get the latest, cleanest wiz in surround sound.

Some of this front end stuff is going for more than the total electronics cost of a small but fully equipped recording studio or about $300-400/mo. For me, that is the amortized cost of my entire entertainment system. So I will not be going there.

Ok, now that all of that is out of the way, what your decision should really come down to is simple...One, does it sound good?...two, does it have the features you think you want?...three, is it practical and dependable to use for you?...four, are you willing to spend the money? Cosmetics?...probably no biggie, right?
For me the sound quality has to be number one!...right next to price. Hearing the ultra clear, detailed, musical, dynamic sound that a lot of digital soundtracs and high quailty CD's out there posses is where it's at to me! I've personally gotten to the point in life that I would always rather hear even two channels of ultra high quaily sound, rather than hearing plain-Jane sounding multi channel from some average sounding pre/pro or speakers! If you want bells and whistles,and a lot of gadgets that won't get you anything remotely resembling chaility sound, then just buy a fully loaded receiver for cheap, and save a ton of money!!!! Alot of those pre/pro's mentioned previously above are really no better sonically than most any decent receivers preamps section!!!!....seriously! If you were going to end up buying the likes of the Lexicon, B&K, Sunfire, Parasound, Anthem, Sony's, or many there pre/pro's out there, sonically, you would get the same or better results by just using a receivers pre-out's into a better amp.
I would easily, EASILY, chose to listen to a high end audio rig in 2 channel only(using a digital processor for DD/DTS however), with all quality gear, rather than have mediocre, bland, boring sound from 5.1 or 7.1 set-up with some average sounding pre/pro!!! (everyone gets that kind of sound....yaaaaawwwwn....boring!) It's like eating a gallon of plain vanilla ice cream vs. eating a pint of Haggendas!!!...I'd pick the Haggendas ever time personaly.
If you want really special, blow your socks off, pretty, ultra refined, delicate, musically correct,clear, audophile grade ambitious sound quailty(once you get it, you'll never go back to mid-fi trust me..), that some of these pre/pro's offer in either 2 channel or 5+, you owe it to yourself to use better sounding gear. The likes of Krell, Proceed,Classe (ok, build is bettered elsewhere), Aragon, Thule, Ayre, Theta Casablanca, EAD and Macintosh perhaps, or even simple Acurus! This stuff all sounds really really good at any given price point. Heck, I use a modest little Acurus Act 3 pressently in my HT system, and I wouldn't trade it for anything in favor of some of these highly publcized/market pre/pro's like Lexicon, B&K, and sunfire!!!..no way!(unless I was going to sell it for profit or something). You may find something you like in another brand, but you sure won't get anything that special sounding in the ones I previously mentioned!
Every company makes a pre/pro that works...but only a select number are really really good sounding, that will keep pace with a good high end system that is.
I know you'd be much more pleased with some simple unit that sounds great, rather than a mega featured pre/pro that sounds like everything else that comes down the pike.
Give some of these overachievers I mentioned a try....your EARS and friends will all thank you for it, with a decided "WOW WOW WOW!!!!"
good luck

Well,

I've sat on my hands & bit my tongue long enough! Here's my vote for best budget surround & 2 channel pre amp. Try an Adcom GFP750 & mate it with a B&K REF 30. You'll have "Class A" 2 channel & a sophisticated "middle of the road" multi channel processor.
Perfect Vision is an offshoot of "The Absolute Sound".
Under Harry Pearson's guidlines, my Montana SPIIs, Pass Aleph P & Pass Aleph 2s are too "small, unsophisticated & underpowered (by 100 watts!) to take seriously. I live in Phoenix, AZ. I'm within 20 minutes of qualified, friendly dealers of Pass Labs, B&K, Mark Levinson, Proceed, Wilson, Rowland, Theta, Dynaudio, YBA, B&W & Revel, etc. My ears & my friends agree Harry Pearson is wrong. We vote with our pocketbooks & we don't get demo equipment for months at a
time.
My chiropractor has a Lexicon. He thinks it's great! He'll buy something else if I show him a processor that's appreciably better.

This cracks me up! The B&K ref 30, and almost the Adcom GFP750 preamp, is sonically no better than ANY RECEIVERS PREAMP SECTION!!! It's pretty well bland, warm, digtal sounding, and just plain "regular" sounding! Infact, sonically, it reminds me greatly of the much overhyped/rated Sony SDPEP9es that was rated so high!...another "noisy" blandish sonic dissapointment!
Now, I know I'm being a bit harsh, but really, you could do better with even an old used Acurus Act 3 than the B&K! And, as for the GFP750 preamp this last genleman mentioned, yes it's ok, but it's not class A material really! SOME ONE WAS PAID BIG TIME TO RATE THAT UNIT THAT HIGH!!!....OR SMOKING SOMETHING. I've sold that unit for years, in two high end stores, and it doesn't come close to competing with better TRUE class A preamps!...not hardly!

Lthkeeper,

If you want to call my opinion laughable, at least have the courtesy to mention by name the "TRUE class A preamps" you're referencing in your comment.
It's pretty hard to have a debate if your just going to say I'm wrong because you worked at two high end stores.