I doubt you could tell any audible difference in normal 7 channel or stereo listening. One of the intriguing but less than clear aspects of Atmos and DTS-x is that higher end bluray players should be able to decode the dedicated tracks. What is fuzzy is whether some of the output channels could be set to act as the object channels. Imagine that you have a 5.1 system and you want to dedicate the rear surrounds to atmos, will the setup allow you to do that just by connecting the back channels to the amp and go. The Onkyo 886 already has three 32 bit DSP chips so I believe it has the processing power but maybe not the firmware pathway. While I believe the object based audio will catch on, it may be too much of a leap to invest in even more high end gear with limited source material and a lot of uncertainty as to what the firmware in all the new equipment will look like and integrate into current systems. I am currently building a home theater in my basement and I will allow for the eventual upgrade path but for now I plan on 7.2 channels max