I’ve been back and forth with this same decision several times now.
I have a new thought and direction I’m going to take from now on.
Separates are great, but expensive. Typically, the pre/pro is the most expensive part and that is also the part that is constantly changing with technology.
Receivers are fairly inexpensive (compared to separates). Where they seam to lack is power (current) and when you look for AVR’s that have enough current for your mains, your stuck with the high dollar AVR’s.
So, this is what I am going to do.
I’m gunna look for an inexpensive, low power receiver that has all the bells and whistles that are important to me, but doesn’t have kick ass amps. Then I’m going to buy a good two channel amp for the mains and use the receiver’s amps to drive the rest of the speakers. If you think about it, the mains are usually the only power hungry part of the system. So why waste all that power and expense on the other five channels?
Yamaha has some pretty trick receivers with unlimited processing traits and you can get lower end Yamaha’s for cheap that still have all the cool options. Pair them up with a good NAD or Rotel two channel amp or Outlaw mono’s and you have the best of all worlds…….affordably.
Or, several HK receivers have excellent processing and they are inexpensive. Hell, there’s many inexpensive receivers out there that have great options, but lack in power. Just find one you like and drop some cash on the amp.
