Well I went ahead and got the HK. I'm ashamed to say it but part of my reasoning to make the purchase was because of laziness. The old RS unit has no remote. The HK not only has a remote, but has an IR port that permits me to sync volume and power to my Squeezebox through its IR blaster function. That's cool. With respect to the sound, the differences are subtle but noticeable. I'm still experimenting, but the HK seems to deliver a more impressive sense of space (soundstage). I could also be convinced that it has better clarity and cleaner bass, but since I don't have an A-B setup and don't fully trust my memory, I can't be one-hundred percent on this one. The VMAx (2-channel surround) feature is an interesting special-effect that's fun to play with, but largely unusable for any serious listening as it makes the music muddy and makes the sound so non-directional that it feels like it's in your head. I guess I can at least say that the RS unit was no slouch, but the HK is a worthwhile step up. Now I just have to figure out what to do with the old unit.
