Why use a preamp for home theater?

I'm looking at higher end home theater and someone suggested a preamp. What are the benefits of having a preamp?

To begin with you can attain ‘high-end’ home theater with a receiver. Look for brands like Sunfire, Parasound, B&K, Sony ES, and McIntosh, (There are many more).You won’t find these brands at your local retail store. They are found at boutique audio salons.

There are several advantages to a preamp.

Probably the biggest is that as technology advances - only your Preamp will need replacement. When I purchased my Preamp – Dolby Digital Surround EX did not exist. I’m fortunate that a simple download provided the upgrade. If future upgrades aren’t downloadable only my preamp will need replacement. My speakers and amplifier will always remain among the best.

Separate Preamp and amplifier also allows you to tailor the amplifier to your speakers. My big Martin Logan’s are 2 – 3 Ohm speakers. Very few receivers can handle that load while many amplifiers can. Including many fine tube amplifiers (mine is solid state).

The reason most audiophiles will provide for a Preamp is a lower noise floor. Theoretically separating the amplifier provides a quieter system (better dynamics). I doubt anyone on two legs can truly hear a difference (if it exists).

My recommendation for a high-end home theater is to select the speakers you like and tailor the electronics to them. If you choose high-end speakers like NHT - a quality receiver will do nicely. Your speaker salesman should be able to provide electronics recommendations.