i use the proceed avp strictly as a 2 channel preamp/dac in my office system and am very pleased. as i understand it the pav/decoder combo was the top of proceed's line, cost much more and had more features than the (one-box) avp, but shared the same basic architecture; according to the reviews there's not a ton of difference in sound quality. if you're using either of them for surround, my concern would be that their technology is dated--these are late 90s units and don't have all the latest gizmos.
Proceed avp or Pav with surround sound decoder
any thoughts on which unit would be a better choice I have an opportunity to purchase either one I listen to surround and 2 channel amp will also be proceed THX