HT pre-amp/proccessor advise.

I second the Audio Refinement - either the pre-5 or the Pre-2 DSP which I own. Both are excellent preamplifiers for 2 channel and 6 channel (SACD/DVDA) - the 6-channel inputs are dead-quiet! The pre-5 is all analogue while the Pre-2 DSP processes DTS/DD and DPL. I recently upgraded mine to be able to process DPL2 so it has that capability as well. I highly receommend you audition one of these units! Good luck!

I guess the only further information I could give concerning the Pre-2 DSP would be to again point out that the pre-amp portion is top notch. Forget the processing for a moment. It does audio VERY well! The sound is natural and very detailed - it has almost a "tube-like" characteristic. It is not cold or analytical like so many "all-digital" pre-amps can be.
You will get many recommendation in this price range and several will be everything they are made out to be. In the end it will be what works best for you.
For what it's worth, I can tell you that I auditioned only 2 preamps - mainly because switching them out was a pain in the A@#! - I rolled the dice on the AR never having heard it or owned any other AR gear. It was a fortunate (lucky) move on my part as it is the best peramp I have ever owned!