Thanks guys. That's why I posted here. I guess this raises another burning question. I think I'm getting hung up on audio formats and telling myself there is a world of difference I am missing between standard DTS vs newer formats. Hence the desire for a newer AV reciever. In doing some research, although an upgrade, it may be negligible for my current 5.1 at the moment. Thoughts...
I'm not near the expert on this stuff that can tell you how much better this DAC is against that, and so forth. What I can say, I have... a lot of the modern market comes down to feature set. You want Hi Res audio. Probably a good idea to make certain you are 4k compatible going forward, and with that, HDR, too. If you want to upgrade, then check off all the boxes:
Do you need analog inputs?
How many HDMI?
Do you want pre-outs in case you ever decide to add an Amp?
Etc....
Only you can decide what is right for you.
I saw some comments dating back to 2001/2002 for that [Panny]. I would think that an upgrade on a 19 yr old design would likely offer some improvement. Just my 2¢, there.