Don't get me wrong, Videodrome - the 970 is by all accounts a nice, solid performer. I don't know how the analog section compares to the 990's, but I suspect the differences would be subtle in analog bypass mode. I've also seen similar comments to those you've heard, suggesting that the differences between the 970 and 990 would be most noticeable with digital input and music playback (which is where I noticed the biggest difference when moving from a Model 950 to the 990) and that movie performance would be more comparable. I don't think that you made a bad choice going with the 970.