I doubt you'll find musical satisfaction chasing the multi-channel path. Sell the pre/pro and the multi-channel amp, and don't look back. Buy a good stereo preamp with HT throughput and a stereo amp. Then compliment it with a pre/pro & mutli-channel amp or receiver that will only be used for surround and center channel purposes.
I chased music along the multi-channel path several years ago and also tired of lack of emotional involvement when listening to two channel. I'd been through many pre/pro's and multi-channel amps, all to no avail. Now my two channel rig has a list price of over $60K, and two channel music never sounded so good. I'm over 90% music now. I still have an integrated HT. I find that a Denon receiver drives the rears nicely, and I run the FR & FL outputs from my Denon receiver in through my two channel preamp, allowing me to use my main speakers for HT. Add a subwoofer, and I'm very happy with my HT also.
It's much easier to find a two channel system that does HT well, than it is to find a HT system that does two channel well, IMHO.
Cheers,
John
I chased music along the multi-channel path several years ago and also tired of lack of emotional involvement when listening to two channel. I'd been through many pre/pro's and multi-channel amps, all to no avail. Now my two channel rig has a list price of over $60K, and two channel music never sounded so good. I'm over 90% music now. I still have an integrated HT. I find that a Denon receiver drives the rears nicely, and I run the FR & FL outputs from my Denon receiver in through my two channel preamp, allowing me to use my main speakers for HT. Add a subwoofer, and I'm very happy with my HT also.
It's much easier to find a two channel system that does HT well, than it is to find a HT system that does two channel well, IMHO.
Cheers,
John