I LOVE my 990, but I bought it only because I ran out of patience waiting for it's replacement (I wanted HDMI's--and more of them). I have an old Technics turntable that I still use and I deeply appreciate the phono input that the 990 provides, since the processing power of the 990 with those 5 2200's and my Maggies makes my albums sound better than I ever remember 'back in the day'. I have to admit that I am going to struggle with the 997's lack of a phono input, and it just might be a dealbreaker for me.

But what I really want to address in this post is the attitude that 'I won't pay for what I don't use'. I find that argument trite, self-centered and shallow. All along my audio journey that began in my early teens back in the 70's, every piece of equipment that I have purchased has had features that I didn't or couldn't use (i.e. what do I need an AUX for?). I don't remember the thought ever crossing my mind that I 'paid for' this or that when I shouldn't have had to.