Which would be a better surround processor.

I agree about lossless codecs, but I've found I prefer analog output from my Oppo BDP-105, and if the 8 cables are bundled they are not the mess I envisioned. I also have 2 XLR cables for stereo.

The BDP-105 with its HDMI and asynchronous USB inputs can perform most of the functions of a processor, e.g. speaker configuration and so forth. It applies its excellent audio and video processing to those inputs. You can use HDMI or analog output from the 105, but if you use HDMI, a 103 without the high quality analog processing is more cost effective. OP may not need a new processor.

db

Paraneer,

I was suggesting OP might use something like an Oppo 105 rather than a processor if his setup is simple enough to be accommodated by single HDMI and asynchronous USB inputs. The last sentence in my previous post may have been clearer had I deleted "new." I was suggesting going from the 105 directly to the amps.

I take stereo and 7.1 analog from a 105 to inputs of a Cary Cinema 11a that are set to bypass. I use the volume control of the Cary and set the volume of the Oppo to fixed. If I used the volume control of the Oppo and did not have runs to the amps long enough to warrant balanced cables, I could bypass the Cary altogether. But my LCR amps sit between the LR speakers and below the projection screen. I bundle and label the 8 RCA cables to make a tidy package. The stereo XLR cables are not bundled.

db

"I found the analogue far better in my Emotiva UMC-200 than the Oppo 105. Increased dynamics, more neutral highs, and a layed back sound - meaning not forward sounding." Bacardi sure is pushing this hard. I must have read this on a half dozen posts at various sites.

db