MP,

I wrote the comparison on the Denon 3803 several months ago. I've now got a couple more months of experience and it has been smooth sailing, great sound and no glitches.

The 990 may provide a few more doodads to play with and supposedly it's a bit more musical but, compared to the Denon 3803 that I was using as a pre/pro there simply is no comparison with the 970. HT is absolutely incredible with 3D separation and total surround sound, which was missing with the 3803.

Music sounds much better, limited only by the fact that I compare it to my much higher end 2 channel system. Yet, on mids and highs, its pretty dang close but even with my sub, the bass doesn't compare with my floorstanders, probably more to do with the speakers though than the 970.

I can absolutely recommend the 970 unless you've got the bucks and the desire for more options provided by the 990, then go that route. If you don't need the additional audio options, connection options, etc. the 970 is absolutely great and will serve you well and it's still pretty dang stout and well made. Good luck, Dave