advice on 5.1 or 7.1 pre/pro

hello,
i would like some input in helping decide which pre/pro to choose. i'm looking for something in the 2-3k range, would like to have comp. video switching. i currently have an earthquake cinenova 5-channel amp, this does not have balanced inputs so that will not be a factor in the pre/pro.
any advice or experience anyone has had would be greatly appreciated.
also, i have def tech bp3000 and clr 1000's as speakers
thanks