Uncompressed PCM Worth Receiver Upgrade?

[bcatwilly]

Okay guys, I have loved what my PS3 looks like with Blu-Ray to my 720p projector (will wait another year to consider a 1080p projector). However, my receiver does not have HDMI, so I have to use the optical out bitstream option to get the standard Dolby Digital or DTS soundtracks.

I was looking at the new Onkyo TX-SR605 for $400 as an HDMI receiver solution that will allow me to pass the uncompressed PCM audio from the PS3 through the HDMI connection.

I enjoy great sound as part of the movie experience and can notice the extra rear center sound from my current Onkyo HT-R520 6.1 home theater in a box solution that included speakers (yes I know that audiophiles will cringe reading that). In fact I would simply swap out the new 605 receiver and leave the speakers in place for now.

Finally to my question, simply looking for objective responses here. Yes, I understand the fact that from a purely technical standpoint uncompressed is always better than the compressed audio. However, for those who have experienced the PCM does it really kick things up enough to warrant a receiver upgrade in your opinion? Would I require much more expensive replacement speakers to truly enjoy the benefits also? Basically I haven't seen enough objective comparison to know whether it is only the audio guys talking about very subtle things in the uncompressed PCM that most of us wouldn't notice.

Any help is appreciated, thanks.