Flashjet

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
Less than 1 month

Price Paid:  $0.00 from Ebay

Summary:
Purchased the Legacy Luminance AV Surround Processor to replace my Rotel RSP-980 AV Surround Processor. I was very happy with stereo of the Rotel but the surround processor was lacking for movie playback. Based on the seller's comments that he sold his Harmon Kardon AV Receiver for the superior sonics of this Luminance unit got me hoping I could get off cheap with this unit. In surround mode, playing a movie, the Luminance was great. In dts mode, channel separation was done very well and it was easy to get lost in the movie experience. It was a big improvement over the Rotel movie experience. It did not handle stereo as well as the Rotel. If you plan on mainly using the unit for Home Theater, What a bargain! For surround sound playing movies, the unit preforms as well or better than receivers costing $1,500.00 or more. In stereo it didn't have the silky smoothness that I enjoyed with the Rotel. But to get that kind of stereo sound I had to pay $1,300.00 for the Rotel unit. Again, for movies, the surround sound beat the Rotel unit I had hands down. A real steal for the price!!

Strengths:
Movie playback in all the different surround modes available today. The separation of each channel is great. The movie experience is well done with this unit.

The price you can get this unit for makes this a super bargain.

Very simple setup, the auto-sensing makes it so even my wife can use it.

Weaknesses:
For more advanced users, the auto-sensing can be a nuance.
In stereo mode, the sound quality is not to the high standards those going to separate components would expect. But for this price, it is exceptional sound quality.

Similar Products Used:
Rotel RSP-980

Pwat

Overall Rating
 1 of 5

Value Rating
 1 of 5

Used product for
Less than 1 month

Visitors rate this review
1.00 of 5, 1.00 votes

Price Paid:  $0.00 from Ebay

Summary:
This is a cheap Taiwan made Pre Amp do not be fooled into thinking that the other posts here are by actual customers. They have been posted by the person trying to rip you off!

Strengths:
Nothing

Weaknesses:
Worthless

Price Paid:  $320.00 from Ebay

Summary:
This review, like others, is for the Legacy Luminance version of this preamp...which is identical to the Proton model from what I can see. I purchased this pre/pro directly from Proton while I was completing a purchase of the matching 5 channel amp. I had tried to downsize to a cheaper surround receiver, but there was too much missing from the sound, so I decided to look for reasonably priced separates again. I used to work for a Proton dealer, so I took a chance on this piece and have been pleasantly surprised so far. Some of the best sound that I have ever heard from an AV/preamp. Excellent 5.1 AND super 2-channel sound as well. Clean, detailed, great imaging, nice surround steering etc....and a great price. What more could you ask for?? Yeah..it has some limited functions, no tone conrols etc...but it is a no-nonsense AV-preamp for somebody who wants to have just one system for surround and stereo. The only other pre-pro that matched its 2-channel sound was my Angstrom 100 which was a quirky piece that had clicks/pops like some other brands, and was not worth the hassle. You will not beat the sound of this unit for under $1500. What else can I say?

Strengths:
Great separation, detail, imaging, and clean sound. Super with 2 channel as well.

Weaknesses:
limited functions, slightly sloppy bass (minor), can be bright with some cd's (minor), speaker setup must be done at panel

Similar Products Used:
Angstrom 100, Newcastle AVP-9080R

Price Paid:  $270.00 from Legacy Audio

Summary:
I actually have the Legacy Audio Luminance model that is the same exact model as this Proton. This unit has base management on DTS, Stereo and Prologic modes. Many AV preamps and receivers only have the sub in the HT modes. I have B&W 601 S3's and using them in the small speaker mode with the sub made them sound fantastic. CD's sound great with the internal DAC. I didn't know that a good processor was so important to the quality of the CD's. I also have the matching Proton 2580 amp and the combination sounds incredible. The highs are very smooth and the unit sounds very clean and natural. I just listen to in the stereo mode for now so take that into account . With the matching amp, this rivals my Fisher 500C tube receiver as the best audio purchase that I have ever made.

Strengths:
Sound quality, DAC and Base Management

Weaknesses:
5.1 only

Price Paid:  $300.00 from legacyaudio.com

Summary:
I actually have the Legacy Audio Luminance model which is the same exact model as this Proton. Overall it is a very nice sounding unit. It blows away the Rotel I had in it's place. DD/DTS sounds very clean with movies. Nice deep, tight bass, and very clean treble and highs. It is a bit "bright" on a lot of CD playback. But it still very good stereo imaging and frequency response. Classical music is very realistic sounding. I have an Acurus A125X5 amp and Legacy Classic fronts. This combo might also produce some of the "brightness" on music playback. I really don't like the auto sense feature. It makes it difficult to listen to Sattelite Music and play the XBox at the same time. It sometimes works, and sometimes doesn't. I can't figure out why! Very low on features, but what can you expect for the price range. But, overall, it's a great bang for your buck.

Strengths:
Nice dynamics. Clean highs, tight bass on DD/DTS.

Weaknesses:
Too bright for a lot of CD music playback. Auto source sensing really is the pitts. I hope I can figure a way out to disable it!