Interesting discussion I've been having for years with my AV buddies.
What works for me is I treat the Pre-AMP like any other processor / computer (which it is mostly becoming).. and consider the pre-pro the most disposable item in the mix. Why? I have a full complement of difficult-to-drive (4 ohm) speakers which most "receiver" amps simply cannot drive, properly The speakers are the anchor of my AV setup. This allows me to keep higher quality AMPs in-play while trading up the pre-pro to match the many formats and materials (and convenience) in today's media / streams.
You guys are right!
Competitive building and price targets are driving most manufacturers to cut every corner possible. The industry consolidation from a few years ago is
not helping. A few "Tier 1" makers try to do a bit better but there is a price limit of their audience target vs those customers in the "if you gotta ask, you probably cannot afford it" realm.
Overall, the Power AMP technology is not changing as fast as the material, streams, processors and computers we are using and
viewing. A
good quality pre-pros is basically a HDMI switching unit + decoding ASICs, + room EQ software - for those "awful" room dynamics + firmware for the decoders and HDMI video formats - which are changing every 3-5 years. The streams are whatever the market is pushing - especially for HT - Dolby, Atmos, etc... The video resolutions have jumped from 1K to be firmly cost-centered around 4K today and the market is trying to convince everyone that we need 8K next.
History.. I used Pioneer's Elite prepros for many years before they really "dropped-the-ball." Then I switched to Onkyo/Integra Pre/Pro (2011). For this last update, I reviewed so many PrePros until I was dizzy with web-overload - Okyo/Integra, Marantz, Yamaha, Emotiva, Rotel, ... but this time but decided to pass and ended up with an Anthem. Funny thing is like many here, I looked for photos of the insides of most of these units b/c you can sometimes tell a lot just looking at the components and layouts.
The
only reason I upgraded in late 2019 was my 2011 PrePro could not handle 4K HDMI to match the TV I replaced b/c my 14 year old DLP was in the ICU. I just didn't want to rip out the LE and install a new color-wheel in it (again). Plus when the wife said "pull the trigger" I've learned it time to move and move fast!
This discussion is mainly about HT and not the "pure stereo only" options which is yet another branch of this tree. Peace.