The lock-on time for the 990 is still slower than my old Yamaha receiver. This is the one thing that bugs me about the 990. Before I bought the 990 I read a review on an Adcom Pre/Pro and the reviewer complained about the time it took to lock-on to the digital signal. The Adcom cost over twice as much so I went with the 990. Changing channels when watching DirecTV doesn’t bother me too much. With a channel that is broadcasting just a stereo signal, the delay is not noticeable at all. It is more noticeable with a channel that is broadcasting Dolby Digital. Playing a CD is what bugs me most. I always miss the first couple notes of the first song. Using the analog connection fixes that but I would rather use the DAC in the 990.