If you buy a preamp/receiver solely based on whether it has Dolby Dynamic Volume, you get what you deserve.

As for comparing a preamp to a cell-phone? A convergent cell phone with a good camera and all the whizbang features saves you money and really only works when it's designed well.

There's nothing about a 9.2 preamp that is going to save you money. First off, the Onkyo preamp is slated to cost $3k. Second off you will need 2 more speakers than what you already have, you'll need even more wire and you'll have to most likely wall mount them, which is definitely not normal for most home theater consumers. There's nothing about that process that makes life easier for a consumer, particularly in this economic climate.

You are certainly welcome to keep looking for the next big thing in home theater...for me, I'm just looking for a quality piece that integrates HDMI 1.3. The 997 fits that bill more than well enough.