I supplanted my Yamaha RX-V2600 with the 975/7075 combo. It was my first venture into the world of separates. The difference for me and my wife, was night and day. The audio sounded much clearer, in that the dialogue is much more distinguishable in both movies and music. I did not use the pre-outs connected to the 7075 before I made the switch though. So I'm not sure how the RX-V2600 would sound as a preamp coupled with the 7075.