power,
The Kenwood is intriguing. Problem is I already have a nice after-market remote and the Kenwood operates on RF. Also, are you saying the music performance, even as a preamp, is not so hot? I would prefer better for music, although a dedicated 2-channel preamp could fix that.

Kevin,
80 Hz is fine with me. Also, as we have seen, having the latest and greatest DSP engine doesn't mean a thing if the analog design is hiss-poor. Also I have a outboard DAC, so as long as the thing can decode DD/DTS/etc, that's enough for me.

Someone on the AVS forum said Integra is coming out with a pre/pro for $2k MSRP. I also see someone on audiogon is taking pre-orders on a B&K Ref 50.

I am still hoping (more like praying) for a hiss fix. I will try contacting Scott tomorrow and see if he has a solution.