Which way to go? Meridian 568.2 or Lexicon Mc-1 v4

My last thread was "Using Yamaha RXV1 as a Pre-Pro, Which way is up?

I received in my opinion some very sound advice.
I have come to the conclusion that in order for me to hear a significant difference in sound I have to get an used top of the line pre-pro. after looking diligently I have narrowed it down to the Meridian 568.2 or the Lexicon Mc-1 v4. I can get these for under 2k.
If you have personally used these products or have personally heard them I would like to hear your opinion. If you have used other pre-pros such as Theta, Proceed, Krell, etc.I would like to hear what you have to say.

By the way, I applied a simple tweak for my B&W 801's and got amazing results ie the tightness and a little more depth on the bass. instead of buying 500 hundred dollar speaker stands I purchased 12 dollars worth of cement blocks, covered them with decorative cloth to match the speaker cabinets and I am happy and my wife doesn't have to look at an eye-sore.

the next improvement is the pre-pro then I will look at acoustics.