Can one turn an old A/V receiver into a Pre-amp?

[Idiot MD]

I have an eight~ten year old Denon AVR-2500 that I'm thinking of replacing with an Pioneer VSX-1014TX-K. I was curious if I could use the old one as a pre-amp for the new one. Good idea/bad idea/am I an idiot? Also, I'm not firm on the choice of the Pioneer but for the price point I'm looking at it seemed pretty darned good. But if anyone has any better suggestions I'd love to hear them as well.

TIA

 

[soundboy]

If your Denon has pre-outs, then you can use it as a pre/pro (pre-amp/processor). But why? Based on the age of the Denon, I would doubt it has Dolby Digital, DTS, Dolby PL-IIx, etc.... or any current surround sound formats. Unless you're just using it for a 2 channel stereo setup.

 

[Idiot MD]

You are correct, sir. I got it shortly before AC3 audio codecs started hitting the market, so its pretty much just for using with my cans. Just curious if there is any use for it still in my HT system or if I should shunt it off to my bedroom or maybe even hook my computer up to it.

 

[soundboy]

Maybe as a pre-amp for its phono stage, if you have a vinyl setup. Otherwise, it may be good as a headphone amp or as a HT amp in a secondary setup.

 

[Jose Perez]

I bought an old Harman Kardon AVR10 for $50 on Ebay for just that purpose. After I bought my NAD PE2200 I needed a preamp and found the market for 2-channel remote Preamps was pretty slim and primarily overpriced. So I picked up the HK and it works like a champ. Pretty good way to recycle old gear if you ask me.

 

[soundboy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jose Perez I bought an old Harman Kardon AVR10 for $50 on Ebay for just that purpose. After I bought my NAD PE2200 I needed a preamp and found the market for 2-channel remote Preamps was pretty slim and primarily overpriced. So I picked up the HK and it works like a champ. Pretty good way to recycle old gear if you ask me.

Oh yes, that's why one should plan ahead when selecting components. Anything with pre-outs and/or main-ins are good in my book.