To some of the previous points about comparison, I've been to many shops where they dealer dumps on another brand but doesn't and hasn't sold that brand. It's indeed getting difficult to make side by side. If you have a few dealers in your area, take home comparable models on a weekend and compare in your home setup. That's the best way.
Suggestions for new AV Pre-Pro
I'm interested in purchasing a new AV pre-pro to replace my aging Outlaw 990. My speakers consist of the Focal 1027be, 1007be and cc1000be. My Simaudio I-7 is used for both 2 channel and also drives the front channels in 5.1. I have an Outlaw 7500 driving the center channel and rear speakers. I plan to use 5.1 analog outputs from the Oppo 95 into the processor and the hdmi directly into the tv so I'm not concerned about video processing. I also have the SB Touch with the W4S Dac 1 for 2 channel into the Sim, but I would also like to run a digital cable from the Touch into the AV processor for 5.1 sound. The processor should be comparable with the rest of the system.