I have a 950 and seven M 200's. I haven't really paid much attention in a while. I would prefer not to buy a receiver and bypass its amplifier. But I'll list the three I've seen, as I think it's worth discussing.

NAD T748 $700
Marantz 5007 $850 (Audyssey MultEQXT)
Onkyo TX-NR818 $1200 (Audyssey MultEQ XT32)

Is there anything between the 975 and the Marantz pre/pros?
Marantz AV7005 $1200 (Audyssey MultEQXT)
Marantz AV7701 $1700 (unless I'm missing something, this is hard to justify vs. the 7005)

Other than a lack of auto calibration is there anything the 750 is missing versus the competition, feature-wise or sonically? I have a RS sound level meter and that calibration DVD in my basement, and I'm not afraid to dig them out. I've read that some swear by the auto calibration and some that wouldn't touch a unit without XT32. For those who have calibrated manually and used auto calibration do you think it is worth 2x the price? And is XT32 worth going with a receiver vs. a separate pre/pro?