@ anyone - is there any disadvantage to having a long wire run from a pre-processor/receiver analogue outs to the amp. Reason I’m asking is that if I did get something like the Emotiva XPA-3 to power the M80s I could place it behind the screen which would also put it on a separate circuit from all the rest of the equipment in the office.
That’s where balanced connections come into play. They are not needed if the amp will be within a few feet of the processor, but are needed if your runs are farly long. One aspect of going with separates over an AVR, or, use an AVR as a pre / pro, is it gives you a little more freedom to choose your processor without having to worry about the amplifier section. The last two to three years has been ridden with numerous technological advances in the HT world. About every six months we get to read about the “newest” change. If you go the separate route, you can stay on top of the changes by buying mid level AVR’s instead of the higher end units, which usually come with the larger amp sections. (IE: Denon 3808 verses 5308)
One other thing you may want to consider is to pick up a two channel amp and let the AVR drive the remaining speakers. You should also keep in mind that DD and DTS have new channels to consider when you are looking at buying a different audio processor. (height / presence / width channels). As soon as the Denon 4810 is released, I’ll be moving to that unit.
