I've been following this thread and the developments on the Onkyo / Denon side, and I'm wondering...

If the 990 and/or 970's successor does not include Audyssey MultiEQ (or similar scheme), would it be a deal breaker for you?

A few weeks ago, I personally would have said "no;" but I've read so many great things about Audyssey, I would now have serious reservations.

Apart from the benefits of dialing in the room response and optimizing multiple seating locations, I would be able to unload my SMS-1 and thus have one less box and cables cluttering my A/V rack.

From where I'm sitting (in my teeny tiny sweet spot), that's pretty tempting.