Which Pre/Pro regardless of $$$

Wowza !!!
Thanks for all of the input !!! It is very much appreciated!
I guess my title was a bit misleading. I am just a mere mortal when it comes to $$$ also (johnmcelfresh) : )
Out of the pre/pro's I was considering, I wanted input on performance only. The reason being; if the Krell HTS7.1 was the best of the pre/pro's performance wise... I wanted to know that. I didn't want feedback such as... "I was considering the Krell, but at more than twice the cost of "xyz" pre/pro... I am happy with what "xyz" does in it's price range "
Those type of posts, tell me nothing about the true performance of a piece of equipment. If the post said "xyz" gives you 95% of the Krell HTS7.1 performance with music & movies; such as it's imaging, tonality, etc,etc.. at 50% of the cost." Now that's a statement.
In short, I guess I just want to know what people have experienced with certain components in regards to performance first. Then I can decide if the money is worth the difference, or buy used vs. new, or take advantage of Krells $3k incentive towards an HTS7.1 (which puts that piece in my range, that otherwise (at 8K) would have been out of my reach. Or a used Lex MC-8B, or new Bryston...

Thanks again Audiogon'rs !!!!

DISTORTION: You said you heard both the Krell Showcase and HTS7.1. You decided on the Bryston because it "easily beat the Krell Showcase" among others. Do you feel the Bryston was still better than the HTS7.1 ???

I recently had the pleasure of auditioning both the Krell HTS 7.1 and EAD TM8000Pro in my home. All I can say is "WOWZA" these are both terrific pre/pro's. However, I do believe they are different in many ways... which in the end is purely individual taste. Both are quality built with excellent sound. I found the EAD to be a bit smoother, and a tad less detailed than the Krell. Set-up is MUCH easier with the EAD because of the calibration mic. However, if you need to alter the sound in anyway, the Krell wins because of the EQ. Again, the Krell is fantastically detailed, huge soundstage, great imaging. The Krell has balanced outs for all channels where as the EAD only has balanced outs for the Front L&R channels. The Krell can be operated a bit easier from the front panel / The EAD is very limited in this category. If ergonomics/features are of no concern, the EAD is a warmer sounding, more forgiving of bad material type processor. The Krell is detailed, detailed, detailed. In no way harsh, but very revealing of source material. My choice in the end depended on the speakers I have.
With my Dynaudio Contour 3.3's I liked the Krell more.
With my JMLab Electra 936's (extremely detailed) I prefered the EAD.
Since I have a full 5.1 JMLab setup, I will try and purchase the EAD 8000Pro (I may wait to see what the new 8800 has to offer as well).
I have already purchased the Krell HTS7.1 and now have it up for sale. If nobody buys it... well, I will still be VERY happy with the Krell HTS7.1 as I do like all the details, features, and I can play with the EQ to get my desired sound. Like I said in the beginning, these are both AWESOME pre/pro's and anyone looking in this price range should keep these on their short list and should be VERY happy no matter what their choice is.
I have listened to Anthem, Sunfire, Parasound, Audio Refinement (awesome at it's price point) and found all of them to be very good BUT the Krell HTS 7.1 and EAD are in a whole other leauge. They did both music & movies with excellent results! I really think that everyone except for the extreme audiophile would find the Krell and EAD a one pre/pro solution for Music & Movies.

NOTE: The Krell $3K incentive for the HTS7.1 is no longer in affect, so I'm not sure how the EAD and Krell match up in regards to price.