I probably lived through "vinyl's golden age" and in the last couple of years I've rediscovered a lot of great music that is only available on vinyl. I got excited when I re-read Scott's post about the 978's phono preamp and how this pre/pro might pull double duty for HT and vinyl. I agree it is probably unreasonable for the 978 to offer bass management in both digital and analog domains but it would be a very cool if it did. If the 978 handles analog bypass as you described then that would be a big improvement over the 990 in particular for those with full range left and right speakers. Those with bookshelf or small speakers would get less performance if they choose bypass and almost force them to allow digital processing of the analog signal.

Understanding the limitations of my 990 I set off a couple of years ago to assemble a separate stereo system that combines many vintage components with newer ones such as an outboard DAC (for CD's and computer playback) and an ICBM for my satellite/sub speakers. But the heart of this system will be a turntable so I can relive some of those "golden" analog times and tunes.

Regardless, I'm looking forward to getting the full scoop on the 978's features. My 990 is getting "a little long in the tooth" and now with so few pre/pro choices the 978 should find an eager market when it arrives.