I can tell you this. My last expensive processor was a Bryston SP1.7. I've moved on to a preamp with HT Bypass, separate two channel amp and a receiver. I buy refurb receivers and when I feel they are a bit long in the tooth, I'll buy another and rotate the one in use. When I first moved on from the SP1.7, I bought another processor used for a good deal as a stop gap solution. It was an Integra DTC 9.8. While it couldn't touch the Bryston on two channel music, it absolutely was better on movies. I bought the Integra after I had bought a refurb Onkyo 1008 receiver for the basement system in my old house (still have the 1008 in my bedroom system currently and it feeds the outdoor speakers). I started using the basement system (in the old place) for not only daytime sporting events (both the main system upstairs and basement system had projectors but the main room got too much light) but for HT. I simply found the HT better on the 1008 vs. the SP1.7 and didn't use the main system for movies for a bit until I got the DTC 9.8. Processor and digital technology changes more rapidly than other things.