Best pre/pro for under 3K?

I think the B&K Ref 30 (MSRP around $2,800) needs to be on your short list. I would hold off on buying one right now, though. Currently it does not have the hardware to process DD EX and DTS ES. It only has Surround EX which is a matrixed version of 5.1--not the better descrete versions. I'm waiting for the hardware upgrade before buying one myself. I currently have their older 3090 and have been very happy with it. Good luck.

Used? New? you can do alot of damage for $3K used. See recent threads in H/T: "best 5.1. . ." and "best stand alone. .." The Theta CasaNova specifically has a very nice, fully customizable bass mngmt. system. Can get one of these for less than $3K easy used. Excellent performance-Plus software and hardware upgradable. Also agree the B&K is worth a look.

If you really intend to use the "pre" functions as well as the "pro" functions, you must put the Bryston SP-1 near the top of your list. It can purchased at discount for about $2800 (contact me for more info). It has separate analog and digital circuits (the only pre/pro I know of where this is true), and is built with Bryston's usual excellence (and 20-year transferrable warranty). If you want to spend a lot less, I'd recommend the Adcom GTP-760. I have recently spent a lot of time listening to this unit, and I was VERY impressed with it. It can be purchased discounted for about $1350 (again, contact me for info). At a price of $1350, the GTP-760 is MUCH better than it has a right to be. There is a review of the GTP-760 by Anthony Cordesman in "The Perfect Vision" (current issue, I think).