Have AR sp-16 preamp need one with more features


I bought a AR SP16 tube pre-amp and it sounds grate the issues I have is:

It had distortion if I run another room off of it

It turns on with mute for 30 sec and the mute stays on till you go up to it and turn the mute off.

It doesn't have discreate codes for the remote, I need to tell it I want to play the cd and have the amp switch to the cd right now i can only toggle through the inputs, same with the power I need a power on and power off buttons.

Also has to have a 12v or switched outlet.

And a processor pass through.

Any sugestions on what I can use, or what I should look at?
programmergeek
1) What do you mean, distortion when you run another room off of it? Are you trying to drive 2 amps? This could be a problem if the resultant impedance of the two amps is less than 20k or so. You need to check the values for each of these and then determine the resultant load as seen by the SP-16. This is determined by (Z1 * Z2) / (Z1 + Z2) where Z1 and Z2 are the input impedances of the two amps being driven. A call to ARC would indicate the minimum input impedance that the SP-16 can drive without problems. Also, does the problem go away or change when both amps are on?
2)This is a small price to pay vs. powering on the SP-16 with a volume control setting very high from a previous listening session.
3) What do you mean, have the amp switch to the CD right now? The remote is controlling the preamp's functions, not those of other system components.

It sounds like the SP-16 is not at all a good match with the application you need. What is the rest of your system and why did you choose this model? Perhaps a preamp/processor would be a better choice for you as they tend to also cater to multiple room setups, switching multiple components inputs/outputs, power-on control, etc.

John