Well here we are in a new decade and I still haven't upgraded my processor yet.
I was gong to buy the Emotiva XMC-2 but just couldn't do it.
I think I am going to re-think this and might just order the 976 and call it good.
I will probably never upgrade my theater to more than 7.2 so the 976 is a good fit I think.
My suggestion is buy the 976. It handles all the current audio and video and if you don't think you'll need more than 7.2 then it fits. What it lacks is room correction but you can have that with a mic, REW and a bit of a learning curve.