Right, right.. make volume go down during commercials is a needless feature that complicates things. Very complicated indeed.

You sound like a guy that I worked with at Nortel Networks years ago. He told me that cell phone and pda's would never converge and that it would be too complicated for the average person etc etc.

If manufacturer's didn't keep up with the latest technologies and keep pushing the envelope there would be less of a reason for people to upgrade. So your scenario could work against itself as well. When automation of setup systems and walk through setups are simplified, these technologies tend to benefit the end user. It's when manufacturer's don't simplify use for the end user, complaints occur, then your scenario is true.

Same thing goes for operating systems. Keep adding features without simplifying the usability and you end up discouraging the end user. Doesn't mean added features don't benefit the user. It just means the developer has to implement it in a way that doesn't get in the way, isn't confusing and seamless to use.

I believe the main purpose of the front height speakers in a 9.1 system is to make music sound more like a live perfprmance rather than make movies sound like your in a theater.
I would think that all of the folks that couldn't live a day longer without being able to decode the new blu-ray sound formats in their processors, even though only a few dozen discs offered them as an option, will soon be unable to live without 9.1 processing.

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.

Blogging - I think you are the one missing the point. I have noticed the exact same problem as Retep with my better half. In addition to live sports, there are limits on the number of programs that can be recorded in a given time slot, when you exceed that and are watching live programming you have to deal with commercials. I would imagine that in many households functionality such as Dolby Volume is very compelling.

There's already a feature that has been included in every receiver/preamp for years now. It's called the mute button.

You really don't get it do you?

Easy, fellas.

Dynamic range compression isn't simply for commercial relief. That's just the easy sell dolby and audyssey are pushing.

I just recently upgraded my bedroom Denon unit with audyssey dynamic volume, and it's a must for watching movies at night when the kid's asleep. Now I can hear the dialogue without the walls shaking from the kabooms.

Some manufacturers have implemented DSP modes like "night" and "midnight movie" in the past, but they aren't as effective as ADV in my experience. I believe it was absolutlely worth the $100 price of entry.

"Right, right.. make volume go down during commercials is a needless feature that complicates things. Very complicated indeed."

You are not married, right?

No, I really don't care about these features and see no value to having them and find it extremely weird that people would gravitate towards an Onkyo preamp over the 997 simply based on these features.

Like I said, if you buy a preamp based on those features, you get what you deserve.

So to recap, the notion that the 997 is obsolete before it is even released is just so much nonsense.

I don't recall saying I would base my purchasing decision on any one or multiple features. I'm going to wait for the 997 to be released and read some reviews and earlier adopter feedback. However, that doesn't mean I wouldn't mind that particular feature being added.

I understand your whole issue about being as simple as possible or stripped down to just incorporate necessary features versus unnecessary - wherever you draw the line. I just think there's room for both and we definitely don't see eye to eye, but I do get where you're coming from.

As for 9.2, it's definitely not necessary for me, as I have a good setup and built my own credenza that has everything at the proper height, but some other people may want it and really appreciate it and therefore I see no reason to deny them of that luxury.