When I had a 5.1 HT system, the SSP was an AVP-2. The AVP-2 was considered to be a fair notch above the AVP in SQ. I kept using this over newer models because of its tonally rich SQ. However, just to satisfy my curiosity, I tried it as the preamp in the 2 channel rig. It did not fair well against the 2 channel preamp at all, a Rowland Capri Series 1. In comparison, the AVP-2 sounded very flat with little depth or width, attacks were dulled, air around the instruments was lacking, and on and on. Therefore, IMO, a dedicated 2 channel preamp of decent quality would smoke the AVP in that usage.
