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Best HT pre-pro with 2 channel audio bypass

I am upgrading to HT from 2 channel and want to still have best pre-amp for 2 channel. What is the best 7.1 pre/pro with great 2 channel analog bypass for phono and 2 channel CD?
hpfish10
ejliu
109 posts
 
Another vote for Anthem AVM-20. Great sounding DAC and excellent sounding analog bypass in both 2 and 5.1 channels. It's not going to be as transparent as a levinson 380S but it sure does a lot more for half price.

but I think the best part of Anthem AVM-20 is the user interface. Very easy to navigate and still has tons of options. Plus the EPROM Software is upgradeable from a serial port. I just connect the serial port from my laptop to AVM-20 and the update is done in seconds.

Overall a well thought out product unlike some of other Hi-end product that tries to go into home theater arean.
mcreight
11 posts
 
Give an upgraded aragon soundstage a try. Great pre/pro with analog bypass on any input. Sounds great in 2 channel.
distortion
571 posts
 
I set out to obtain the best 2 channel performance I could find in a Processor. The Competition ranged from close to not a chance. I wanted to keep it at or under $3600.00 for a new unit. I had some in-home auditions and a couple of in-store.

The winner was a Bryston Sp1.7. My budget kept me from Krell's HTS 7.1 and Classe's SSP-75, so they didnt get auditioned at the time. Since, I have heard both and they are impressive, equal but not really any better than the Bryston.

The competitors were Krell Showcase, Classe SSP-30, Integra RDC-7, Rotel RSP-1066, Sunfire TG3, B & K Ref50, and An Acurus.

My top picks for "best" musical bypassed Processors would be EAD Theatremaster, Bryston SP-1.7, Classe SSP-75, and Krell HTS 7.1. Not in a particular order.
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