On AVRs I'm also with you ... I try and purchase ones with at least the front preouts. It seems you need to hit the $1000us range (+/-) to get it. I think the marketers have figured out that people who are in the know want precuts and are willing to pay for it.
Cranes, I agree with you. I treat wine in many respects like audio. It's a value proposition . I can appreciate a single note wine when it's under $6 but expect a lot more at $12. At $30 only once in a while do I find one that's worth it. I've only been disappointed in wines over $50 ... many I felt should have been price at $12. Of course, I keep trying.
My friends in France assure me that you need not spend that ... One of them told me to buy it early and store it for a few years ... I'm trying that but I think he has a slight advantage when great vineyards are but a drive away and top notch ones are walking distance from his fathers house. It's amazing what they pull out of their cellars ... have yet to get anything close here.
I've been an oenophile back the 90s as best as i can remember. Our cellar has a variety of wines across the world, varying ages and price points. I rarely buy anything above $40-45 unless there is an exception for some reason (the WolfBlass Black Label is one such wine; fantastic cellaring!). Too low a price though and you get some really faux stuff. It's quite hard for a winery to make a quality wine and also make it inexpensive (say defined by $14 or less, Cdn price).
Casey,
On AVRs I'm also with you ... I try and purchase ones with at least the front preouts. It seems you need to hit the $1000us range (+/-) to get it. I think the marketers have figured out that people who are in the know want precuts and are willing to pay for it.
I'm in that exact position right now. No AVR under $850 Cdn has pre-outs that i've seen (and i'm not talking about BStock). I found an Onkyo on sale last year, previous year model for $900 which i probably should have snapped up but missed the deal. Now everything i've seen, including USED units from 2 or 3 years ago, all selling for over $1k, anything new is $1300+ if you need pre-outs. That being said, try and find a cheap processor as a replacement. Even the Emotiva units fall into this price range. Then you would also need to add amps and hence the value added features of the AVR for your above average HT person.
You just can't get around having to pay a minimum that feels higher than you want to in order to obtain a quality wine or a HT processor with the features you need (like pre-outs).
It becomes a "suck it up buttercup" situation; you have to fork out the cash.
