In reply to:
However, if there is a compromise of quality by including a tuner, I would prefer not to go with it.
There is absolutely no technical reason that an integrated tuner causes degradation of a receiver’s audio quality. Also, the cost of a digital tuner module (usually by OEM) is so tiny today that the necessary cost cutting in other places should be negligible for given price.
In reply to:
I should probably add that I'm not really interested in several channels because I'm not very interested in movies.
I do not know how long it will take for the multichannel audio formats (SACD, DVD-A etc) to get to their prime time, but they are coming. Even if you are not interested in movies, you might want to consider them…
In reply to:
My experience with dolby pro logic scarred me for life, however.
Was it Pro Logic II? I found that Pro Logic II is much better than the original Pro Logic; also setting the processor in the Music mode (as opposed to Movie mode) is very important when use it for music. My own brief experience with Pro Logic II (for classical music) was quite positive.
So, these are some of the reasons to consider a receiver as well. I concur with JohnK in that, in today’s market, traditional stereo integrated amps are increasingly marginalized into a small niche (or replaced by those inexpensive mini- or micro-systems). This means that you likely get much more bang for buck from more common, major-brand multichannel receivers. Although the final conclusion can only be drown by your own ears, there is no technical reason to assume that those mass-marketed products are inherently inferior in sound quality to more esoteric “audiophile” stereo amps within the same price range. That said, the psychology of “pride of ownership” is of course an entirely different issue.
Cheers!
