The Denon unit I referenced above has been on store shelves since last summer @ $1099, has done well in reviews and offers HDMI 1.4a. The only thing the 978 has over it in terms of features is balanced outputs, while the Denon has quite a few features that have become common that are lacking on the (still unreleased) 978. That would leave $1500 to spend on an external amp with a little more gusto than 7125...perhaps the 7500. Wonder why Outlaw wouldn't sell this unit instead of the Marantz 7005 since both come from the same OEM partner? That leaves a lot more money on the table to buy a quality amp...albeit at the expense of getting a receiver made in China (sigh).

Best,