I am re-building my home theatre. First stop is the receiver. Or maybe separates. My thought is if I buy quality separates (amps) I can upgrade the processor forever. I love the look and quality of McIntosh amps and lean that way. But I consider the value of many of the receivers out there that offer incredible processing capability and quality for the dollar. I am a musician by trade (ok....I make my living in the computer field...I'm a musician wanna be). So that being said, I do have good ear and can "hear the difference". One of the questions is, at what price? Kind of like the difference between Acura and Mercedes. Where does the dollar/benefit quotient blur? At what price point? Should I go receiver or pre-amp/amp? One thing I did eliminate is that I almost never need a tuner. Given that, would I get more bang for my buck going the separate route? Also, I don't care for all the DSP's that manufactures offer. Give me pure, uncolored, warm. Tube like amplification across all channels. All the latest formats.