Best AV processors for under $10K

Jdub39 - Not sure I followed that. Are you saying you listen to 2 channel DSD with no conversion but you also take your 2 channel DSD and convert it to 5.1 and add room correction? And that you prefer the converted 5.1 with room correction? If so, what do you use to get to 5.1 Sorry if I misunderstood.

03-09-13: Dbphd
As I understand it, DSD does not convey information for bass management; you need to convert to LPCM if you want bass management.

It comes down to semantics. It is incorrect to say that DSD does not convey information for bass management since that implies that there are codes in it to guide the application of bass management. That is not true. All that is contained in it is the music information as apportioned by the producer. By the same token, neither do PCM sources convey information for bass management.

Bass management is applied by the user and, in the current state of the art, consumer products are limited to applying bass management to PCM signals (although it is possible to do this in DSD). If you apply bass management to PCM (or to PCM converted from DSD), you are re-allocating the signals to each channel differently than they were and you might say these arrangements are bass-managed but there is still no information for bass management.

Dtc, I was referring to the stereo vs.5.1 the mix of the same disc.For the stereo version on an given sacd I prefer pure DSD but if that same disc has a 5.1 mix I prefer to covert it to PCM with Audyssey!

Got it. That makes sense. Thanks.

If you are just using the SSP for movies as you're suggesting, you are indeed far better off getting a competent SSP in the 2-3K range, and spend the rest on a top notch 2 channel DAC/Preamp (for ease of integration, the DAC/PReamp should have an analog input to be used as HT bypass).

You could acquire something like the Bel Canto 3.5vb DAC (external powersupply optional), which has an analog input. Better still would be to get the MSB analog DAC and get the analog input option and do the same. You'd be a bit over budget, but on 2 channel this would beat the crap out of ANY SSP you can get below 10K (and above 10K as well for that matter), and for movies your 2-3K processor would be good enough.

Another options is to get a SSP+DAC+Preamp with HT bypass, but three boxes my be a bit too much....