Re: Hd audio decoder black box
That receiver is kind of obsolete. No analog multi-ch ins, even. By itself, not having TrueHD/DTS-HD is to me not so horrible, but a bigger thing to be worried about is the limited number of digital inputs you have. I think that model only has 2 digital inputs, one coax, one optical. That will be very limiting in the long run as you make add ons to the system (DVRs, game console, etc.). The Sony would give a lot more room for expansion, having 4 HDMI + 3 optical + 1 coax.
That receiver is spec'd for about 8 years ago. I had an older Pioneer that was similar (even worse, no DTS, no Prologic II!) bought in 1997, held on for 10 years, but couple years ago was forced to upgrade due to lack of digital inputs.
I'd try to scrape up the extra $108, and try to make savings elsewhere. Better to do that and keep for 8-9 years than stick with this one and feel need to upgrade for $300-400 to a new receiver 2 years from now.
