We Don't Need No Education...We Don't Need No Tone Controls...
I can completely understand since I used to hate all EQ/Tone Controls with a passion.
That was one reason I absolutely loved the Bryston BP6 and Acurus RL11 Preamps - no tone controls at all - only had source inputs, volume, and L/R Balance controls. These things could last 100 years.
So a clean audiophile-looking Pre-pro with nothing more than Direct Mode and Discrete 7.1 DTS-HD MA and Dolby TrueHD like the $800 Denon DN-700-AVP minimalist Pre-pro would have been absolutely perfect for me as well.
@TLS Guy would love this Denon Pre-pro since he abhors all EQ, DSP, and Tone Controls.