moving on from Emotiva UMC-200 pre/processor


I like this Emotiva unit, but got it just before deciding to upgrade almost everything in my system. I can still return it tho and am now hoping to setup the two front channels as follows:

Thiel CS2.7 (or something just as transparent if I find it)
Amp to match the Thiels (Pass Labs x-150, Peachtree 220, suggestions?)

I realize it's a pretty open ended question, but can someone suggest other 7+ multi channel pre/processors to match the above hypothetical system?

Thanks,
hazyj
hazyj
"..it looks like u missed what Stereophile had to say about the GFP750" "I believe it set the record for the lowest cost preamp to ever get a Class A rating" - Zd542

Zd542, no no NO NO NO!! Hate to break it you, ..don't care one iota what bogus rating Stereophile got paid to give,..ADCOM NEVER MADE IT INTO A LEGIT CLASS A STATUS!! Let me reiterate, just incase you didn't hear me ,..NEVER HAPPENED! (Yeah, let's just say it was, ahem,...conveniently "placed" there at one point) ..Used this piece in several systems, in different stores, and it's not a world class piece! I'm tellin you. It's just not. MUCH better in lists even bellow it, yes.
lemme just go ahead inform you that, after having worked directly in hiend audio retail sales in 4 different very hi end av salons for over 15 years, TO NOT BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU READ REGARDING AV EQUIPMENT REVIEWS!!!..YES, EVEN IF ITS STEREEOPHILE MAGAZINE!! Yes, reviewers are, have been, and always will continue to be incentivized and paid directly from equipment manufacturers-desperate for GLOWING OVER REACHING REVIEWS - because they know for proven absolute certain that such favorable write-up will SELL PRODUCT!! SEEN this over and over for decades now. That's just business. And, if anyone is naive enough to believe otherwise, then I dunno what to tell ya - but it's historically proven to be EXTREMELY difficult for small esoteric equipment makers ( let alone even larger mainstream manufacturers ) to stay in business, let a lone turn a profit. Yup, reviewers definitely play their roll..and the money changed hands in this very tight knit hiend industry. Believe it! ..as a famous competitor once said .."man,I got kids ta feed!"
So sorry to say, but no, Bryston nor Parasound never made it as an elite product line, nor was the Modulus 3A actually Class A, nor was the Mirage M1 tower class AB, .and neither did the B&W DM302 speakers really make, class B stereophile, ..and nor are Def Tech the greatest loudspeakers, as Brent Butterwort lead u to believe, and neither were Paradigms,. Also, nopeTHE Arcam AV300 AV receiver also WASNT better than separates, as crazy over zealous reviewer claimed to "sell soap", etc, and so forth.
All I'm sayin, is you gotta try this stuff out with actual hands on!...otherwise don't just always believe what's printed somewhere..cause there may be an agenda. It happened. I swear.

("Money answereth all things" -Eclessiastes 10:19) hummmmmm..
Sure, I will check into more Oppo postings and such...
But besides all that,..just blanketedly, It's probably safe to presume that, simply due to the fact that probably most all of the pro Hifi industry magazine reviewers use an actual -mostly active- preamp in their own personal reference systems ( and not to mention that the "Amp/preamp" forum here on Audiogon is easily 5Xs THE SIZE of this home theater forum..why is that???? ), that the entire informed audiophile world understands that preamp are merely convenient SWITCHERS, and far inferior options to simply bypassing straight from the Oppo Direct??!! ..so, what, The Oppo direct analog is undisputed the purest most high fidelity analog option that a system can attain??? Sounds like it from what I heAr here...so I'm just making sure that that's the proven position, from both audiophiles, industry pro reviewers, n hobbyists alike, fer highest fidelity 2 children perspective digital sourcing, correct?
just wanna be clear. ..cause it sure doesn't add up, when I look at the storyline thus far...but maybe I'm underestimating the Oppo alltogeth??
Let's look into this..
Zd542, case in point: Sound and visions Sep 2014 issue reviews a few new AV receivers on the market, including a $2000 Anthem far and a $600 entry level Available receiver. AND GUESS WHICH RECIEVER GOT THE FULL FIVE STAR RATING??!! ..That's right, the $600 light weight Sony mass market surrounds sound piece got the highest rating possible, and was lauded as sounding dynamic, open, airy and uncolored sounding!!! Comparatively, the $2 grand audiophile ambitious offering from world renowned high end audio equip mfr Anthem, got dinged with a 4.5 star rating, criticized as analytical sounding???
I'm Gunna go out on a limb, from having sold all this stuff for decades, that the Anthem indeed is the higher fidelity piece, with more refined sound, better power n dynamics and refinement, period!!
Really??!! ..you think the little Sony is REALLY FIVE star worthy, cause a review said so??!!! ..um yyeeeaaAAAHH NNOOO!!
Buyers beware..n proceed at your own risk before buying (particularly new)
Zd542, I'd like you to please type in "gfp-750" into the search bar on home page for the discussion forums here on audition, and then proceed to read through ALL the postings pertaing to the Adcom ((mostly all are pertaining to the Adcom vs other preamps) ...
Then after you read how All the experienced posters here DOWNGRADE the actual performance of the GFP750,do be sure n get back to us on your new newely reinforced position on this piece as a legit Stereophile world class A rated component!!!!
YYEEAAAHHH ..OK. No really.. I'll wait
And here I thought we got rid of you. I knew it was too good to be true. If any of you guys are thinking of responding to this disaster, I can tell you from experience that you're just pissing in the wind.

There's only one upside to Avgoround's posts. If you have kids, make sure they read them. If there is a more compelling example as to what happens to your brain when you do drugs, I don't know what it is.