I don't know of any such product, but there is a nice little workaround many of us here have used with great success. If stereo is your highest priority, get a good stereo pre and just use that with a decent but relatively inexpensive AVR or prepro (that has preamp outs) that you can less painfully swap out later as needed when video processing standards or connections inevitably change. Hook the front L/R preamp outs from prepro into an HT bypass or an unused input on your stereo preamp and you're good to go. The prepro is completely out of the system for stereo listening, and you can use whatever DAC you please. This scenario also lets you spend more of your budget where it matters more and less where quality is less critical. The only downside of doing it this way is you have another box in your rack and need another interconnect. Hope this helps.
Back to stereo and a minimal function home processor/preamp
There wasn’t much announced this January with regards to home theater.
Although the audio standard side of the home theater is largely set, it looks like companies are reluctant to release premium gear with the video side in flux. Until either HDR10+ Or Dolby Vision can win as the “standard”, I’m going to sell my XMC-1 and just listen to stereo.
To be honest, I wish someone would make a “skinny” processor. Just do Dolby Atmos with a minimum setup, like 5.1.2 or something, with balanced and unbalanced outs, no video processing, and don’t bother with a DAC. In fact, don’t do any digital inputs beyond HDMI and give me two balanced analog inputs (and one or two sets of single ended inputs) and let me use my own standalone DAC. If someone could do that on the cheap, I’d be all over that. Does anyone know of a mini-processor like that?
Although the audio standard side of the home theater is largely set, it looks like companies are reluctant to release premium gear with the video side in flux. Until either HDR10+ Or Dolby Vision can win as the “standard”, I’m going to sell my XMC-1 and just listen to stereo.
To be honest, I wish someone would make a “skinny” processor. Just do Dolby Atmos with a minimum setup, like 5.1.2 or something, with balanced and unbalanced outs, no video processing, and don’t bother with a DAC. In fact, don’t do any digital inputs beyond HDMI and give me two balanced analog inputs (and one or two sets of single ended inputs) and let me use my own standalone DAC. If someone could do that on the cheap, I’d be all over that. Does anyone know of a mini-processor like that?
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- 3 posts total
- 3 posts total