"Why spend $1,200. if you just want to use the pre-outs ? You can do better than onkyo for the money ............."
This is the point I was trying to clarify, but there are other considerations aswell that I should have pointed out earlier.
1. Ideally I would like a unit that handles the new audio codecs and HDMI 1.3a.
2. A seperate pre-pro such as the Integra dtc 9.8 would be nice, but it is even more expensive (around 1300-1400) than the Marantz that I'm considering.
3. I'll be using only the plx 1602 on my RF-7's for the meanwhile, so I need something decent to power my RC-7 and surrounds. I may not even buy a seperate amp for the RC-7 in the future if I'm satisfied with how the receiver powers it.
4. I live in Canada, so anything I bring over the border I have to pay tax 12% and duty 7% on (no duty if the product is made in the USA). This is why the Marantz looks even more appealing, as it is local and I don't have pay anthing extra. The selection of used receivers up here isn't that great and when buying from retailers products are typically priced about 10-20% higher than in the US.
5. I want to make sure that the receiver I buy will be able to get the most potential out of the qsc 1602 pro amp, as I've heard there is an issue if the consumer pre-outs signal is too weak.
So given this scenario I'm wondering whether getting the marantz or even a HK 254 or 354 (they are priced similarly to the onkyo's I believe) would give me the best bang for my buck.