I be look to assemble a hdtv , Blu-Ray player and speaker set that will last I for the next 3 - 5 year . I be initially draw to this speaker base on review , but have one question . it be my impression that the speaker itself be awesome , but that the lack of a hdmus in\/out compromise the potential of the speaker to deliver the best sound from a hd source . in other word , sound come from a Blu-Ray or cable box lose some signal through the digital optical cable , which would otherwise not happen with a hdmus cable . could people please comment\/educate ? be the lack of hdmus input the reason for the drastic price reduction ? I have not have a chance to compare audio come out of optical audio vs hdmus , and so do not have a basis to establish if hold out for HDMI be worth the extra money that that might entail . thank you .