I am not sure if thisis proper place to post this, or if my gear is up to "Stereophile" standards, but here goes:

I am trying to set up a modest (by Stereophile standards) 3.1 home theater system. I am poised to replace my current ampification system to match my two new purchases:

1. Joseph Audio RM25XL

2. Oppo BD95

Yes, I meant 3.1 - FR, FL, Center, sub -later to grow into 5.1

My current short list is:

Cary Cinema 12

Parsound Halo A51

My budget is about 9K



Alternate system:

* Denon 3312CI (used as preamp only)

* Conrad Johnson ET3 Tube Preamp with home theater pass-through

* Halo A51

Any opinions out there as to which will sound better? Pros and cons of each approach? My primary concern is stereo and 5.1 SACD music playback. I am completely open to suggestion, just trying to get a dialogue going.The HT side of things is secondary, but I am mating to Pioneer Kuro Pro-110FD, so I would like to do justice to it, too.

Definitely require ability to stream music and video, but the Oppo satisfies that - am willing to forego separate video processing in favor of superior pre-amp (Cary) but on the other hand there is the issue of trying to future-proof (Denon 3312CI - although would be happy if they were to release a 4312ci or 4313ci)

Thanks!