I used my HK avr7200 as a pre for my forte 4a-I was able to blend the avr for home theater with the forte and have just the forte for my merlins in 2 channel--but--with the advice of several buds I checked with Dan Modwright to see if an upgrade to a seperate pre would produce any major sonic improvments-of course he said yes.So I bought a modwright SWL 9.0SE-and I can say it is well worth it.Hope this helps.I have enough extra speakers that I set this system up separate from the rest-the merlins have never sounded so good.Dan felt that having a tube pre-amp with solid state is one of the best ways to go.Good luck.
Using AVR Direct Mode for external amps
I know using an AVR as a pre with external power amps (pre outs) is not sonically the most ideal. However, what if the AVR has a Direct or Pure mode? Would the sonic difference be less than with a stand alone Pre? Assume both AVR and PRE are in same price category.