Luxman 5.1 amp setup? Looks amazing.
I agree!
Galaxy65: What types of music do you listen to?
FWIW, here’s my recent post about the relevance of surround-sound for music:
Two-Channel Only - The Way God Intended Short version: surround-sound is very relevant for classical music.
IME, modern hi-res surround-sound classical recordings and vintage tube amps are a great combination.
You don’t need an AVR (or pre-processor) to play multi-channel digital music recordings (e.g., SACD, DSD download, Pure Audio Blu-ray, Blu-ray audio/video, Ultra HD Blu-ray). An Oppo universal player (e.g. UDP-205, BDP-105, or BDP-95) will decode any digital recording. The Oppo UDP-205 has built-in "pre-amp" functionality (i.e., analog RCA line-level connections), including selectable downmixing (e.g., 7.1, 5.1, 5.0, 2.1, 2.0), bass management (i.e., configurable subwoofer crossover and RCA line-level connection), trim levels for each channel, and remote volume control. Additionally, you can simply not connect the rear channels and have 3.0 or 3.1, or combine the rear channels for 4.0 or 4.1.
You can build a great surround sound system with two vacuum-tube stereo amps (i.e., 4.0 or 4.1 system). If you don’t need tone controls, you can connect power amps directly to the Oppo. If you’re interested in experimenting with this, I suggest that you conduct a test by connecting a stereo amp and speakers to the Surround Left and Surround Right and listen for how much content there is in your favorite surround-sound music recordings, and how much L vs. R distinction. Only you can decide if separate L&R rear channels are worthwhile. (For classical music, the rear channels have only “hall sound”, and little L vs. R distinction.) If L vs R distinction isn’t important to you for the rear channels, then combine the rear channel connections from the Oppo player into one via an RCA Y-cable. Connect one stereo amp for front L&R, and a second stereo amp for center and rear.
With modern hi-res surround-sound classical recordings and my favorite tube amps and Klipsch speakers, I’m able to achieve a near “live symphony hall” experience with this configuration.