CurtPalme.com Home Theater Forum

WanMan · Joined: 19 Mar 2006 Posts: 10270

Things have changed, and for the worse, over the decade I spent happily with my home theater setup. Recently I went and bought a new TV that was enough of a critical change it can be used for critical viewing. But I had no AVR in the house that could do 4K. Initially, I just plugged the 4K sources into the TV directly, using the eARC channel (designated HDMI) to back feed audio only to discover my AVR didn't support ARC, let alone eARC. I had to settle for DD, or DD+, or whatever SPDIF optical out afforded me.

This lead me to go looking at AVRs in the $600-900 range and to my shock none of them had preouts. Only the high end models by manufacturers had them. Way back in 2009 I made the move to buy into separates but used mid-range AVRs as a Prepro because actual prepro products were absurdly price, IMO. I guess something had changed in the past decade that makers chose to remove unamplified channel outputs unless you are willing to pay $1K or more.

I always thought--without solid knowledge--the processing stage and the amplification stage were two separate sections of the same PCB, or even different PCBs. I had not considered now that the processing and amplification is done in an integrated fashion to where one couldn't simply cable-out the processed signals just prior to inputting them into an amplification stage.

Does anyone know how to determine this, and if anyone runs a side business of making a preout breakout block modification where the tapped into (soldered)?

**kal** · Posted: Wed Dec 16, 2020 9:28 pm Post subject:

I don't think it's so much that they *can't* put pre-outs on an AVR, but that people at a certain price point just don't want or need them. Removing half a dozen to a dozen RCA/phono connectors on the back of the unit saves a few bucks and if few people want them, why bump up the price? Keeping certain features off the lower end models also forces people to "buy up" too which the manufacturer of course wants.

What about a low end pre-pro (no amps) instead of an AVR. By the very definition it has to have pre-outs otherwise it's kinda pointless. Wink

Example: https://emotiva.com/collections/processors/products/mc-700 ($699 at this time)

Kal

**Curt Palme** · Posted: Wed Dec 16, 2020 11:33 pm Post subject:

It's called cutting corners. I am using a top of the line Onkyo from about 8 years ago that I had repaired under their extended warranty. $1400 new, and I picked it up at the local recycler. Onkyo discontinued that program in Dec 2019, but I got mine (and about 8 others that I ended up selling) done at no charge.

If you don't need Atmos, I may still have an Onkyo repaired unit here with preamp outs.. I think.

CIR Engineering · Posted: Thu Dec 17, 2020 1:22 am Post subject:

Lexicon like the RV-9 has them and I'm pretty sure Marantz as well.

craigr

**kal** · Posted: Thu Dec 17, 2020 1:11 pm Post subject:

CIR Engineering · Posted: Thu Dec 17, 2020 2:23 pm Post subject:

**kal** · Posted: Thu Dec 17, 2020 2:50 pm Post subject:

Go for it Wan! That's an excellent AVR.

Kal

P.S. I've been eye-balling the Anthem AVM70 myself: https://www.anthemav.com/products-current/type=av-processor/model=avm-70/page=overview
(I'm seriously due... I'm still running an Acurus ACT-3 from the late 90s myself Shocked

(lossy DD/DTS 5.1 only))

Kal

WanMan · Joined: 19 Mar 2006 Posts: 10270

The MC-700 does not offer HDMI 2.1, so no 4K60, let alone 4K120. BTW, I found that Monoprice, somewhere we all went to for cheap stuff, selling a surround processor for $4K! Even they went upscale.

**kal** · Posted: Thu Dec 17, 2020 2:54 pm Post subject:

CIR Engineering · Posted: Thu Dec 17, 2020 2:59 pm Post subject:

CIR Engineering · Posted: Thu Dec 17, 2020 3:02 pm Post subject:

This is the lexicon I have a demo unit of:
https://www.lexicon.com/products/receivers/RV-9.html

It has HDMI 2.0a. It's the same thing as the MC-10 pre/pro (I own this) except with amps and minus the XLR outputs.

craigr