Good post Chris! I have been tossing over what pre/pro to purchase as I upgrade from a Rotel receiver and newly mated ATI 1505. I have narrowed it down to the following options: Arcam AVP-700 AVM-30 Emotiva DMC-1 Parasound 7100 With honest side-by side comparisons like your it makes...
They do only sell through authorized dealers. Anyone who claims to be an "online" dealer is a scam. You might eb able to get the dealer to knock $100, but if you look at the price of them used, you'll see they hold their value extremely well, hence little room to whell and deal in my experience.
I am also in the market to "step-up" from a Rotel receiver used as a pre-amp to a parasound 6 channel amp (1206). I've narrowed it down the the following: Anthem (higher end price range) Rotel (middle of the road and known product) Parasound (Same as Rotel) Outlaw (lower price range)...