Anthem getting into two channel with new STR pre-amp-- anyone heard it?


Has anybody heard the new STR pre-amp?  I like the feature set for my purposes, but I can't hear it at my local Anthem dealer, as they do not stock this series.  It has home theater bypass, including for two subs.  Also has MM and MC phono inputs, and a DAC. 
mtrot

 Why does everyone get upset when a dealer who 1. state who they are and 2. seem to honestly want to help posts here. Why get upset you know they are a dealer so filter out the sales talk and use the information they are giving if it helps. Don't come here to troll or complain please just move on.
People seem to forget dealer see a lot more equipment then the rest of us buyers/users do. They also get to spend more time with it then we do or the people walking through the shows. They also go to the shows and see what's out there and coming. They pick the products they sell they are not forced to sell a product. They love music just as much if not more then we do. They did chose to work in the industry most likely because of the love of music and the equipment.  

we complain there is no brick and mortar shops or very few but yet you will complain about a dealer here....no wonder they are slowly going away.

I don't think the internet seller is going to take the time to help you they just add a 30-90 day free return and ask you to try it. I'd prefer to talk to a knowledgeable person and then make my educated decision.

I'm in no way saying all dealers are perfect some even down right nasty.

I'm not a dealer or anyway associated with the Audio Industry (Navy Submariner 21 years) but I do have a friend who is a  manager of one of the better audio shops in my current city.



Can I use the Anthem STR preamp (stereo) with my existing DAC, and at the same time use the ARC room correction on Anthem? if so, would I be doing a double A/D/A conversion, therefore defeating the purpose of having a separate DAC?
Thanks to @audiotroy for the comments. I'm also interested in the STR Preamplifier. It would be interesting to see in-depth reviews and such, but perhaps I'll just ask the local dealership to bring in a demo -- they've offered. In the meantime, I'm reading the downloaded manual to find out more about the DSP features.
My impression is, the unit has an Ethernet connector for updates and control, but it is not itself a network renderer -- is that right?  For networked audio, one still needs something like a Lumin, Rendu, or Auralic Aries?
Anthem made a tube preamp in the 90s, the Pre-1. I had one, it was just ok.


Oz