I've got to agree with Chris that the high end gear is not keeping up with the more modestly priced Japanese models. When I was going through my decisions on separates, it became apparent I was going to need a scalar (DVDO vp50 at the time) but then separate sound processing. A good receiver can do all of this with less hassle, cables and no sacrifice of sound.

HG Cherry M60's,VP150,Qs8's,EP350