Every bit of the AVP is designed almost perfectly. I have not heard a processor with as much detail for music or movies. The stereo surround mode is wonderful on certain music. I purchased the AVP anlong with an AMP 3 for a wonderful combination.
I am running Sonus Faber Concerto Grand Pianos and Sonus Faber Solo for the center channel. I am using Audiotruth balanced and Audioquest speakers cables.

I'm mostly putting this review in to get the avp into the "hall of fame". I purchased this piece about 5 months ago after selling my Harmon Kardon signature 20, read citation 4. All I can say is this is the first piece of equip I've bought, where I can't see an upgrade path. I've listened to the krell av standard, I've listened to theta, and meridian, and I just can't justify it. There is so much more improvement in speakers, or amps to keep me occupied. If you buy this, you will love it. If you don't, give up now, because music's not in your future! SmlAssociated equip...
Aragon 8008x2 (2, for 7.1 channel upgrade soon!)
Aragon 8008x3
Mission rears, and sides (for 7.1 channel upgrade!)
Sonus Faber concerto mains.
Sonus faber solo center.
Rel stadium II sub
Monster M series interconnects.
Etc etc...Rock N' Roll! And I'm only 22!

I was lucky enough to take advantage of Madrigal's trade-in offer, to previous Citation owners. I must say that this pro/pro seems to strike a perfect balance for music and movies. The Citation was know slouch in this department either, but the sound just seems much more defined and detailed. The soundstage just opened up and the bass impact is incredible. I know that some have complained about the litte remote...and I agree, they could have don better. But, one of the best things about the AVP, is its ability to teach any learning remote all of its functions. I have an 8 yr. old Pioneer remote (learning) that I was able to teach all of the AVP's direct access functions to...and it works perfectly. I also just go the new software download (1 month ago). It gives you the new 7.1 channel configuration that is customizeable. Depending on your rear speaker type (I have dual-drive), you can select between Bipole, dipole, direct or dual drive. Although they haven't implimented their new matrix modes yet (re: 6 axis, Logic 7), the addition of the new surround channels, open up the soundstage that much more. The new download also included new variable crossover points for the sub (or subs). It also added DTS Film, DTS THX and DTS music...vs just DTS THX and plain DTS. It seems that the DTS music rolls off the subs a little more. The next upgrade is suppose to be the DACS (24/96) and then hopefully the new surround modes. Either way, this is one fine product. The downloads have been basically free. If not, you'll only pay for your dealers time. If your in the market for a great pre/pro, make sure to check out the AVP

After trying the likes of the B&K 202, and the Denon 5700, both of which I was very disapointed with, I purchased a Proceed AVP, and couldn't be more happy with it. First, it is a VERY well put together piece of audio equipment. Very heavy construction, that feels like a high end piece. The remote on the otherhand, although very well thought out, is a little on the flimsy side.The capabilities of the piece are nothing short of spine tingling. Used with my B&W Nautilus 805s, and a Proceed AMP5, the AVP reproduces music equally as well as movies. It has fewer bells and whistles than the Denon, but they are not needed. I actually thought that movies sounded good with the burr-brown d/a converters in the Denon, but they pale in comparison to Levinsons 24 bit convertors. Subtle things in movies that I have watched several time all of the sudden are coming from behind me, over my head etc... This is how home theatre should be. Clear, detailed, accurate, and fun. The B&K sounded great on music,(much better than the Denon), movies were also quite good, but ergonomically, the B&K left a lot to be desired, and regardless what anyone tells you, the quality control issues with the B&K are Still a problem. My B&K was two weeks old when it actually freaked out, and the display read something that had nothing to do with anything. It was almost posessed. Needless to say, it is gone.
The AVP is equally adept at handling music. It reproduces everyting that I can throw at it with tremendous clartiy. Fast, accurate, detailed, with amazing imaging. The AVP is a engineered very well. Easy to set up, and most connections are basically intuitive. All analog, digital, and video connection are user addressable. You can set different levels for each of the processing modes, dpl,dd,dts, mpeg etc. The AVP also allows for changes in the digital lables on the display.

Overall, I can't imagine owning anything else at this point. Although only a few days old, I am really enjoying breaking it in.

This piece is all of it. I agree with the other reviews in that the AVP strikes a perfect balance for those of us who want great home theater without giving up quality in music. I have auditioned the following pieces:Marantz AV 9000
Ymaha DSP A-1
Golden Theatre
Acurus
Classe' A
All of these were good, but lacking in one are or another. The biggest gap other than music sound and the ability to produce music in a surround mode, is upgrade ability. I could not part with a large sum of money for a piece that gave me know where to go to keep up with technology, Madrigal has a reputation for both software and hardware upgrades as well as trade in programs. The only disapointment is the remote, I am worried it will get lost. For this amount of cash Madrigal should include their knew Microsoft powered remote.

Equipment;
Pre/Pro: Proceed AVP DD, DTS, THX, Mpeg
Amp 5: Adcom 7500
DVD: Pioneer 414 DD, DTS
CD: Yamaha CD coarousel using a coaxal digital imput
Audioquest Topaz Interconnects
Audioquest Indigo Speaker cable all speaker are bi wired
Fronts: B&W 604 S2 (I aspire to have the Nautalis 800 series)
Surrounds: B&W 602 S2
Infinity Center Channel (to be upgraded soon)

The only other Piece I would have purchased if priced comparably is the Meridian 861, at $14,000 it is a bit out of my league. The Meridian 561 is also a great piece to consider, I did not have a chance to audition this piece.

I had previously owned a Chiro C-800 preamp and their 5.1 DD/DTS decoder. It sounded great and was a good value although it had some annoying quirks. When it became time to make a change, I came very close to buying the Denon 5700 and simplifying my life. But I kept coming back to the Proceed and I'm glad I did -even with the extra expense. What a great product. Well thought out, great build quality and it sounds great for home theater or 2 channel stereo. This is a great piece to build your system around.

Sound quality, versaltility, upgrade-ability, number of inputs, balanced inputs/outputs

Cheaply made remote, bland on-screen menu system

I moved up from a Chiro C800 to the Proceed AVP. I thought the Chiro was very good, but the AVP makes it look like a toy. Beautiful sound in all modes. Dual mode capability (two rooms, different output). Solidly made with enough inputs/outputs (though no compoenent video) to satisfy just anyone. Best purchase I've made since my Mirage 3si's...even at a $5k price tag!

Awesome sound quality, very easy to use, great styling, software upgradable

Need to add varible sub crossovers for each speaker, currently only supports one frequeny for all speakers that aren't full size.

I replaced a Sony STR-80ES receiver with the Proceed. I traded up for the following reasons:
70% because I hated the way the Sony handled switching from Movies to Music and the S-Link to my other Sony pieces never added any value.
30% because I didn't like the sound of music on the receiver and I had already traded in my other preamp.

I bought the Proceed for the following reasons:
1) Great feedback reviewers on the WEB
2) Super build quality and I like the way it looks and feels
3) Madrigal has been incredibly responsive to all inquiries. (Meridian took two weeks to respond to my first request.)
4) I wanted to buy an amp and processor that looked similar and would talk to each other.
5) The Proceed had the ability to configure and remember settings for each input.
6) It sounded great, but to me so did the Lexicon, Theta, and Meridian

I didn't really expect all that much improvement in the sound of movies, but I am completely blown away. Everything sounds so much clearer. I went from a 10-year-old first generation CD player on my old preamp to a Sony 300 DVD player feeding digitally into the Sony 80ES receiver. I thought I might get a little better sound going from 10 year old DACs in a cheap Carver CD player to the latest technology in the Sony, but I didn't hear any difference in two channel audio. AC-3 movies sounded cool due to the discrete rear channel content, but Pro Logic was very disappointing. I ended up setting the gain for the rears 3-5db above reference level all the time to maximize the effect.

With the Proceed I can't believe how much better everything sounds. From the THX into clip, which is now crystal clear and crisp, to every one of my favorite CDs. The surround effect before was obviously coming from distinct speakers. Now I have the rears set to the reference level and there is a much more seamless sound field. I never used a single surround effect for music with the Sony, but I really like the 2-channel surround effect on the AVP.

Summary...WOW...I can't believe how much better the sound is, especially considering that I was expecting very little difference.

Similar Products Used:

Sony ES AV receivers

Excellent two channel, ease of operation, ability to change name of inputs, record/listen function, ability to mix and match audio and video inputs, sound,sound,sound, excellent dts and dolby digital, remote, looks, great pre-amp/ processor for the money, standy switch, build and rear panel layout

Only one toslink input, no toslink output for recording , 1 bit dac, only 3 balanced outputs (L, C, R)

I had the Act 3 for about 9 months. I decided to drastically upgrade my system to better support the home theater I was putting in. I liked the Acurus, but it wasn't that strong with regular 2 channel. Between 2 channel and home theater, the split is about 90% to 10%. I decided to look for a piece that would better suit my needs.
For about 3 months I researched on this site and flipped through numerous issues of Home Theater Interiors, Stereophile, Stereophile Guide To Home Theater, Absolute Sound, and any other piece of material that could help. Friends recommended the Krell HTS, but I thought it was way too expensive for what I wanted plus I think you need Krell Amps to get the benefits from a piece like that. I decided on the Proceed. Went to two local stores that sold it and auditioned. The only way to really get a good sense of how a piece will work in your system is to take it home.
I took the Proceed home one weekend and did my little "test". I started by playing my reference discs. I liked what I heard. The sound was more detailed and warm with a little more bass. I then tried some dvd stuff. I put on "Austin Powers - The Spy Who Shagged Me". Both the Proceed and the Acurus reproduced excellent soundtrack and dialog information. I went back and forth for about an hour. On my last go around I played chapter 5 which is the "Starbukcs" scene. There is thunder in the beginning that really works the surrounds. The Acurus seemed to produce good surround, but the Proceed was better. The Proceed seemed to have a wider more discrete stereo effect. In the end, I bought the Proceed. I really liked the sound of the Proceed compared to the Acurus and the little features such as the 12 volt triggers, the remote (zone) feature, and the thousand of inputs and the ability of mixing and matching audio with video inputs. The more I play with it, the more I like it.
The Proceed is a beautiful piece both physically and as a component. It didn't win the Audioreview Consumer's Choice Award for nothing. It's definitely worth a look and listen. I understand there is an upgrade on the way and with that there will be a price hike so get it now.
My system:
Proceed AVP
EAD Powermaster 1000
Adcom GCD-600
Toshiba 3109
Sony JE520 Mini Disc
Philips CD Burner
PSB Goldi
PSB Bronze
PSB C6i
PSB 3i and Subsonic 5 Subs
TMC White, Yellow, and Gold Label
Better Cables Silver Serpent S-video
Apature Digital and Toslink
PS Audio 300
Harmonic Technologies Pro-AC11

Similar Products Used:

Acurus Act 3

I have compared this unit with the Lexicon MC-1 for over a month now and I can honestly say that it was a very tough choice. The MC-1 is just about the best thing I have heard as far as home theater goes, it really gives you that feeling that you are in a high quality commercial movie theater. The Proceed AVP on the other hand is close but the surrounds are not as alive as with the MC-1 and they both were tested using the 7.1 channel options ( yes I upgraded the AVP as soon as it came out and it is a must upgrade ) The tide really turns when listening to stereo or stereo surround though, here the AVP magically turns in to a premium quality stereo pre-amp. The MC-1 does sound good for a surround processor when it comes to stereo and I was impressed since I had the MC-1 for a while until I received the AVP, but the AVP sets a new standard when it comes to music in a surround processor. I was stricktly a home theater guy until I heard the AVP and now I am going to split my listening between movies and music, in fact I am already going to sell my THX speakers and move up to a Thiel system.

If home theater is all your interested in then the Lexicon MC-1 should be on your must hear list but if you want something that is close for HT but is also an excellant music pre-amp the Proceed AVP could be your ticket to sonic nirvana.

Eq. List:

Proceed AVP
Parasound HCA-2205A
M&K S-150 THX system ( about to be replaced by Thiel CS 2.3 & SCS3 )
Velodyne HGS-18
(2) HSU TN-1225 powered by Parasound HCA-1200II specially designed sub amp
Pioneer DVL-700
panamax line conditioner
Parasound HCA-1200II to run extra surround speakers

I am contemplating adding a Krell amp to drive the Thiels but the Parasound HCA-2205A is pretty close sonically but if any one out there has any ideas please let me know.

Thanks