Why not just get an Outlaw Audio 990 on closeout for $699 with full factory warranty? It's based on the highly regarded Sherwood Newcastle 965. I have the Boston Acoustics AVP7, which is based on the same unit. It has a very nice sound, much nicer than Outlaw's earlier 950. The Outlaw version of the Sherwood adds balanced XLR outpus and 3-to-1 DVI switching, which means it can easily switch the video portion of HDMI output.
The Sherwood 965/BA AVP7/Outlaw 990 comes with a mic and automated surround setup, dialog sync, and a host of usable features. Also has a phono section and FM tuner.
It also has analog 7.1 inputs, so you can hook up a Blu-ray player with internal decoding and 7.1 output (e.g., Panasonic 55) directly into it and get the lossless surround codecs.
Another thing to think about: I suspect the upcoming Oppo Blue-ray player will also do SACD and DVD-A. If so, the purchase of that one unit plugged into an Outlaw 990 would give you lossless surround from DVD-A, SACD, Dolby TrueHD, and DTS-HD Master Audio.
The Sherwood 965/BA AVP7/Outlaw 990 comes with a mic and automated surround setup, dialog sync, and a host of usable features. Also has a phono section and FM tuner.
It also has analog 7.1 inputs, so you can hook up a Blu-ray player with internal decoding and 7.1 output (e.g., Panasonic 55) directly into it and get the lossless surround codecs.
Another thing to think about: I suspect the upcoming Oppo Blue-ray player will also do SACD and DVD-A. If so, the purchase of that one unit plugged into an Outlaw 990 would give you lossless surround from DVD-A, SACD, Dolby TrueHD, and DTS-HD Master Audio.