You know, I think you're right! The logical answer is to deal with the heartbreak of retiring the Oppo (til the new one comes along one day) and let the Samsung BR take over. This BR has 8 channel analog so I could configure it that way now. If the signal coming from BR is analog how important is the DAC in the BR?
I didn't realize that the Samsung had an 8 channel analog out and I don't know much about the DACs in the player but I would suspect they would be more than adequate and as mentioned, it would meet all your needs without having to go out and buy an updated AVR, at least for now. The only possible downside might be the limitation of the player in setting up your bass management. The player's set-up here is usually quite rudimentary, although since you are doing this with your Oppo, you will already be familiar with it. It is usually never as good or flexible as the bass management system in your AVR.
