The 7.1 receiver that we’ve had for quite some time feels like it’s about to give up so I’m considering some kind of upgrade. I’m a bit frugal when it comes to this stuff, so I’m trying to find a good value option that won’t have to be replaced too soon. I.e. I’m not looking for something really cheap that doesn’t sound good, but I also don’t want to spend more than necessary, as one quickly gets into diminishing returns territory.

Now I’m thinking that it’s the video and digital pre-processing parts of the home cinema system that age fastest, and it feels wasteful having to replace all the power amplifiers, which is the case of an integrated surround receiver. But looking at the local stores there’s a complete lack of mid-range surround pre-amps… There are plenty of good surround receivers around €1000, but for pre-amps there’s a single crap model for €500, and then the rest are €4000-20000. Do companies simply not make the product I’m looking for?

I could definitely buy a surround receiver for €1000 and be happy with it, but I know I would hate it if I had to replace it the next time we buy a new TV because it has a new HDMI version or something stupid.