Poor Howard Ferstler said:

Harold, this question should be right up your alley, even though it's in
the nature of what you quaintly call "shopping advice". I will note, note,
that advice about my question is welcome from anybody, including Ferstler,
but I will also utter the caveat that any response from Krooger will be
dismissed summarily.

I want to upgrade my surround preamp. My Lexicon is getting long in the
tooth, and I might want to try out 7.1 or 7.2 surround. (Don't have the
speakers yet, but I'll have to match my existing speakers, so that's not
really an issue.) My other priorities are minimal -- I don't need a phono
stage, I don't need Zone 2 distribution, and I don't need dual subs. A
tuner would be a plus, a learning remote is unnecessary, but OSD is
valuable to me. Another plus would be component video switching.

The main concern is price. I'm open to buying used; in fact, that's my
preference, since it's favorable in terms of bang for the buck.

Shop around for a more recent Lexicon unit (possibly used),
although I will admit that the models that followed the DC-1
got more and more out of reach for guys like you and me.
Actually, that DC-1 ought to still be pretty competitive
when it comes to musical work. But, yes, if you want
component switching you need an upgrade.

Harold, you nitwit, I don't have a DC-1.


A big Yamaha receiver (a used RX-Z1, for example) would work
just fine. It would also include DPL II, although not the
latest IIx version. The very latest RX-Z9 receiver is a bit
rich for my blood, but maybe you can afford it. Unlike all
previous Yamaha units, it is THX Ultra certified.

Yuck.

Yeah, I like Yamaha, mainly because it seems to have the
best balance for working with two-channel music sources and
simulating surround sound. However, the Lexicon Music Logic
function is still a fabulous feature, and the DC-1 does have
that, as do the later versions.

God, you are out of touch.