Well, I bought a low end receiver to try out HDMI connectivity and Audyssey (Onkyo 606). I liked the one cable connectivity, and Audyssey actually was nice, but audio was what I expected from a low/mid-fi receiver...not so good. Anyway, since I sold it and bought a 7500, I've been trying to decide what to do about a preamp/processor. I've thought about the Onkyo 885/886, but some of the problems people seem to have encountered have given me pause. Thought about a receiver to use as a preamp, but I'm not really wild about that either. I guess the more I think about it I'm leaning to going back to a 970 or 990, selling my Oppo 980 and Panny BD35, buying an Oppo BDP83, and just be happy. I won't have room correction that I'd get with the 997 (whenever it comes out!) but I can get a 990/BDP 83 for about the same price as the 997. Of course there goes one cable connectivity too, but hey, I hung on to my HDMI-DVI cables from my 970. Sound like a plan?