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I own a B&K Reference 50 and a 70, both are good values that come with professional results at home. Just astonishing sound with great reliability. Today these pre's are the absolute best buy on Ebay or other online sales. They are selling for a fraction of what they are worth....So if I were you I would take advantage of the time and the value you get when you own B&K. Solid performance with the more flexibility than you can image. Cool Features that smoke most pre-amps in its class like Balanced outputs for professional results. Neat preference features, so you can have multiples setups for any device. You can switch from stereo 2 to Stereo 7 and to DTS, THX or DOLBY II and other formats in a flash. All the bases are covered. Analog or Digital inputs and outputs that are programmable. Sweet 7 channel analog inputs so you can take full advantage of SACD or 5.1 DVDs with Hi end DAC's found in top of the line players. To boot you can control a second system from another room too. I know I missed tons of things so download the manuals online to learn more. This is the most refreshing tid bit...its: built USA. Buffalo NY. Quality second to none and state of the Art circuits boards. I have other Tube pre's that sound nice too....but I seldom use them as I just can't achieve the same results as I do with my Reference series pre's. So if I were you I would go for it ! You will not be disappointed.Read full review
Verified purchase: No
my experience with the B&K Reference 50 (Series 2) home theater preamp/processor has been spectacular.i prefer to buy American-made HiFi products whenever possible. i already own 2 other B&K products, and when i saw a few of these Ref50's come up for bid recently i just had to have one. one of two the main reasons i picked this model is because it has 3 component cable (RGB) inputs.that's a few more than most other similarly priced Imported competitors.i have 2 DVD players and an HDtv over-the-air tuner,so that's why i needed as many component inputs as possible.i also liked the 6 Toslink digital inputs and 8 coaxial digital inputs.the second major reason i bought this unit is because of its XLR/Balanced inputs and outputs--great flexibility for future additions of equipment and amplifiers.this unit may be considered completely outdated by some for its total lack of HDMI inputs and outputs,but it is still perfectly current in its ability to accept just about any digital source and connect to any modern amplifier whether they have single ended RCA or XLR balanced connectors. July 2015 update--the Ref50 S2 listed above ran great for several years and then suddenly had a digital input board failure.the Toslink and coaxial inputs would occasionally lose signal lock and then catch again,making the volume level jump wildly. figuring that it would probably cost too much to repair it,i bought another :) i bought a older 'Series 1' THX version.i have only had it for 3 days,but i think i can say that it is MUCH better than the later non-THX Series 2 model.it seems to have wider dynamic range and ability to really drive my amps and speakers to levels i had not experienced before.the first night i got it all set up i watched Kill Bill 1 using the DTS soundtrack.it sounded like i was hearing real guns firing and real swords clashing in my music room---it was amazing! if you are looking for a really good non-HDMI compatible preamp,look no further ****make sure you buy the earlier version that is THX Certified****Read full review
Excellent quality. Perfect component for 7.1 if you do not need/want hdmi video (i.e., for music lovers.) There are old fashion video i/o that are pretty much useless unless you're running vga monitors. I have only just started using this device and there is a significant learning curve for proper operation. Only using 2 channels now. The interconnects use standard layout - and includes full balanced xlr output - 8 channels. However, the front panel is controlled by only a few controls that I have not figured out as yet. So my next step is to dig into the fifty page manual (RTFM). The manual includes the full system remote that can also control all other B&K components. I am hoping this can be programmed for all my non-B&K components. Also want to compare builtin SSP and DAC with my very nice Luxman. One issue is the delay and mechanical 'annoying click' sound when changing SSP pgm - that is, when changing output program from Stereo to Stereo THX. Not sure why it would make *any* noise/sound. Typically you may hear a short 'gap' of silence because the processor needs to re-route to the requested pgm. Yeah, a well-cared-for used B&K 50 is a steal. And if the front panel and remote controls are not to your liking. It can go back on eBay.Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
When one goes to buy a surround sound processor they must remember that the chips are all made by Dolby and the manufacturer of the component adds parts to make the component work. Some use more expensive parts than others but they are all using chips provided by Dolby. The B&K 50 processor is now somewhat dated but it comes with a good remote, is easy to set up and it sounds great. You can spend a lot more for the latest and the greatest but there really won't make that much of a difference in the average home theater system.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
This is still a great piece if your not looking for hdmi connectivity. I really enjoy the analog and digital processing plus it has a set up menu with options many others don't have at the price you can grab one of these at. Excellent sound quality at unbelievable price. Remote is the best I've ever used.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned