But without HDMI the best DACs in the world in the pre/pro aren't going to do anything.
I can see the appeal of analog interconnects in a purpose-built, music playback setup. But for home theater you need HDMI. Finding sources with 5/7.1 outputs, for your TV channels, video games, video disc, etc. is impossible. Let alone the extra over-head of paying for high-end DACs in each piece of gear. If you use HDMI to connect all the digital sources to your pre/pro or receiver you only need pay for the digital to analog conversion in one place. Plus, the bass management, channel alignment, room correction, etc. are always better implemented in a dedicated processor than any source device.
