Do we agree that makes the HDMI very unimportant. A very teeny tiny positive.
I don't quite agree. For me, HDMI eARC might be worth a couple hundred dollars, if that were the net cost to upgrade from my Element X to the X2.
I don't own an AVR and am not too interested in surround sound. Watching movies with HiFi stereo sound is ok. For that, an HDMI eARC connection would be better than Toslink, not so much for SQ as for the improved command and control functionality.
However, to me, the price jump from the Element X (~$3K new in 2020) to the X2 (~$4.5K in 2023) is too much just for that feature. The improved remote control might be worth another couple hundred bucks, along with the touchscreen (for the album info display, not so much for the "touch" controls.)