FRONTOSA

I paid the full retail price ($417 which includes shipping). When I asked the Emotiva sales rep. what they do with all the returned units from the trial period, the rep. said they sell it as a “B” unit - $50 off. I told the rep. I want the factory fresh new unit, and that I wanted nothing to do with returned item. Anyhow, USP-1 sounds good. A crude analogy: if my old receiver let me see the rainbow, USP-1 is letting me see the shades in between. I can appreciate the finer subtle differences.If Emotiva doesn’t work out, is there comparable preamp around?

I ordered it over the phone. I hate returning purchased items but Emotiva has crossed the line...

Thank you all for the helpful comments. Based on the suggestions on this board and reviews on USP-1, I purchased + received it Thursday. To my extreme disappointment, Emotiva sent me a refurbished/used unit. Mine has a crack and scratches. I was a bit taken back that Emotiva would do something like that. Perhaps there are many folks returning the item based on their liberal 30-day trial, and Emotiva is shipping the returned unit as new to subsequent purchasers. Emotiva didn’t even bother to “freshen up” the unit before selling it as new. That zapped my impression of USP-1 and the company. I am waiting Emotiva’s response to my complaint.

Thanks wuzzzer, Wm McD, and John for the latest comments. Wuzzer, I read about Emotiva USP-1 at their website, and am tempted by their words. CECAA85 also made a similar recommendation about it. Too bad they don't have a showroom for folks to sample it.

The collective knowledge on this board is amazing. I'm grateful for all the thoughtful responses to post. I’ll have to reflect on the suggestions. One lingering question remains: when I activate the "loudness" button on old my receiver, the active speakers produce more noise - - louder but seems less clear. I blame the less clear part on my old receiver. HOWEVER, does this mean that my speakers with built-in amplification would sound better with an integrated amplifier vs. only the preamp?

Thanks Bill and CECAA850. Following Bill's suggestion, I’ve been focusing on NAD C 326BEE. However, since XF-48 speakers have a built-in amplifier, do I need to be concerned with models that have more “continuous average power” (which also carry a higher sticker price)?

I recently purchased Klipsch XF-48 speakers - which BTW are terrific for my 600 sq/ft apartment. Can someone suggest a good receiver (under $700) that will go with the speakers? I primarily listen to cd/mp3 music and don't care much for the fancy surround-sound capabilities. I have sensitive ears and I have a feeling that my old Technics SA-GX530 is not doing justice to XF-48.