I have the 9.8 and it is an excellent piece of gear. Just make sure that the one you buy has been updated with the latest software or be prepared to do it yourself.
Since I was starting from scratch I built the entire system HDMI which is terrific.
Since I have a 5.1 set up I have the 9.8 set up for bi-amping. I also like the flexibility of being able to upgrade the amps without changing the preamp - or vice versa.
I started with a 7 channel amp, then got a great deal and moved to a five channel amp which I use across the front (2+1+2), and a separate pair of monoblocks for the rears.
While I was researching this, a number of dealers recommended that I get a lesser receiver and use the preamp out to a separate power amp. So long as your 875 meets your needs (inputs, decoding formates etc) you could start that way and upgrade the processor/pre later.
Since I was starting from scratch I built the entire system HDMI which is terrific.
Since I have a 5.1 set up I have the 9.8 set up for bi-amping. I also like the flexibility of being able to upgrade the amps without changing the preamp - or vice versa.
I started with a 7 channel amp, then got a great deal and moved to a five channel amp which I use across the front (2+1+2), and a separate pair of monoblocks for the rears.
While I was researching this, a number of dealers recommended that I get a lesser receiver and use the preamp out to a separate power amp. So long as your 875 meets your needs (inputs, decoding formates etc) you could start that way and upgrade the processor/pre later.