AVR vs 990

I currently have a Denon 3806 AVR with a 7500 amp and all Polk Lsi speakers (5 channel). Would I see a significant change in the quality of sound if I dropped the AVR and bought a 990? What features would I be losing? I am extremely pleased with the amp and Outlaw in general and am wondering if the switch would be worthwhile. I am not suffering right now,the sound is good. Thanks for the help o knowledgeable ones.

The discrete processing of the 990 will be better. I haven't owned that Denon unit but I did move from the top of the line H/K.

I moved to the 990 from a 3801 and found it a definite step up. I was also always pleased with
the Dennon and still use it for casual listining in the family room.
I'm not up on the feature improvements between the 3801 an the 3806, but the only feature of the
Denon I really miss is the ability to handel a second set of surrounds without jury rigging.

Based on specs, the 990 lacks XM radio and Audyssey EQ. On the surround mode side, they two are equally matched, with all of the same core processing modes. The 990 has Dolby Headphone (which the 3806 lacks), while the 3806 has an assortment of "DSP modes" (Jazz, Stadium, ...) that the 990 lacks. The 3806's HDMI inputs are v1.1 compliant, which is the only feature that I'd say might make a difference to you. The others here who have heard both seem to be giving the nod on sound quality to the 990, and I don't doubt them.

Thanks Gonk, the HDMI is an issue to me. I'm saving for a plasma now.

If I understand the last post correctly you simply use a dvi to hdmi cable.

That is correct, Arky. The 3806's HDMI v1.1 support is relevent if you want to play with HD-DVD and Blu-ray without needing a multichannel analog audio connection to get the new audio formats, but for running HDMI video from sources to the display the 990's DVI switching can do it just fine.