Well, cost is really the least of my concerns at the moment - at least in the price range of the 990/997. I'm more concerned with longevity - will I want to upgrade the 990 in a year? Is it worth it to deal with my broken 950 2-3 more months to grab a 997 at the intro pricing? I know I can buy a 990 now and get $200 off the 997, but it's not really worth it to me to have to tear my system apart twice.

I'm still not convinced either way. I do love the convenience and lack of cable bird's nests HDMI affords, at the very least. It also appears the 997 will support future digital audio formats, giving me a wider range of media players I can choose from.

OTOH I can have the 990 now and it may be all the processor I'll need for the next 5 years, as long as I choose media players with analog output.

-Joe