Anybody else using AV880x as 2 channel preamp?

I had a 8801 then a 8802 and never liked my dac going through it even in pure direct. Always went dac direct to amp. I now have the av8805 and it is much better as a preamp. I can use it in pure direct and not miss much. Direct to amp still sounds better but the marantz is now good enough I usually dont. 

I use the av8805 as both a 2ch preamp and multichannel.  Have to say it sounds pretty nice.  Was planning on getting a dedicated 2ch preamp soon but no longer feel the rush to do so.  Nice to save the space until we have more room.

While the Marantz AV8802 is great when used as a surround processor for surround sound movies or HT but its stereo performance for 2ch music playbacks are lacking compared to high end AV preamp surround processor such as the Classe SSP 800, Classe Sigma SSP, Cary Cinema 12, Bryston SP3/SP4, McIntosh MX160, Meridian Reference 861 v8, Krell Foundation, Krell S1200U, Krell Evo 707, Audio Control M9/M7. 

I haven't heard the AV8805 though. 
If you really care about 2ch performance for music playbacks I suggest that you get a dedicated stereo preamp or stereo integrated amp that has HT bypass. 

Or if you want a single AV pre pro that can perform really well in stereo I would get something like a used discontinued Classe SSP 800, Classe Sigma SSP, Bryston SP4/SP3, Cary Cinema 12. 
These processors will perform better in stereo than the Marantz. 

@tomaswv , I use multichannel pre with success in my main system. It's a McIntosh MX-120. The analog section is essentially a C46 preamp, so it offers the flexibility for HT and critical 2-channel listening. I've since moved away from HT altogether, but kept the 120 for its sound quality.
You can find this and the MX-119 and 134 fairly cheap since they're shunned by both line stage purists and HT geeks ( not intended as a jab) who want the latest codecs. 

The classe 800 unit mentioned above also gets high marks for 2-channel use.

@yakbob  

I think the McIntosh's flagship AV preamp surround processors (eg MX150, MX151, or MX160) share very similar analog audio circuitry as the McIntosh stereo preamp such as the C46 preamp, not the McIntosh's entry level AV processors such as the MX120, MX121 or MX122..