Question PM7000N Vs STEREO 70s

[Shrek]

Im looking at upgrading my Amp due to lack of connectivity mainly HDMI ARC .
Would there be any improvement in sound with the HDMI connectivity ?
ive seen a ex demo at a good price so any food for thought would be nice before i part with my hard earned money .
also is the Phono stage any better ive looked at the specs on the Marantz website but its a bit muddy.
Thank you

 

[Messiah]

What do you need to connect via HDMI (I assume a TV as you mentioned ARC)?

Cannot see it being an improvement over other inputs (at least digital) if being used for stereo only. Those 1s and 0s are still gonna go through the same DAC.

 

[Shrek]

I want to avoid the the tv HDMI will it sound better via the Amp and HDMI games consules DVD ,TV .
The TV is connected via optic.