this may not suit you, but what i just did was get a denon avr3805 that i am gonna use as a pre/pro only (except for other zones at least). it has upconversion to component is why i bring it up. it also has a ton of features that i liked, is good quality being a denon, and was in my price range of right at $1k. i was gonna do a pure pre/pro with my amps, but i honestly didn't see any advantages in the available models that had similar specs. the 3805 has a parametric eq which is pretty cool, i dont think any pre/pro has that in its price range, differential dacs, decent remote, triggers, remote outs, etc. I haven't had it long enough to fully comment, but without having set it up taking my time (girlfriend forced me into hooking it up for a movie...), it is way better than my old unit.