Good point. If using digital signal transfer via Optical/Coax, or maybe even hdmi, the player becomes more of just a CD transport, right? I've been using the analog XLR outputs with the Marantz over to my receiver. Haven't tried them with the Panasonic yet but I imagine the sound could be different since this would be using the players internal components and DAC, correct? I'm not doing a ton of music listening in this current setup, so I'm thinking of utilizing the UD7007 with our bedroom TV and letting the Panasonic do double duty in the living room, but the subject is a curious one now that there seems to be a move away from physical media.