I agree, although I'm saying that for as long as they're charging premium to separate the two, you can still use receivers to do so at a lower cost. I was using an Onkyo 3009 as a processor for awhile and it did great and it was a lot less than many processors out there that provided the same or less feature set. It sucks to pay for the amp section since you're not using it, but if it's still cheaper than a dedicated processor then it's not so bad.
Though the 975 impresses me less the longer I own it, another big advantage it has over any receiver is that the 975's power dissipation is so low you can stack other components, like a BD player, directly on top of the 975 without ill effects. It is also about 1/2 to 1/3 the height of receivers.
On the other hand, any Japanese-designed receiver is going to have a far better remote than the Outlaw has, which is my #1 beef with the 975. Yes I know, I could invest some money and time and program some other remote to replace 975's, but it annoys me that I should have to.
