John,

In comparison with the Sony unit and from other manufacturers, the Sony does not have any decent sound quality to it whatsoever... It sounds very dry with no dynamics whatsoever. Yes the price is very attractive but the performance is not... I would very much rather have a Yamaha RXV595a or 795a than any Sony standard units. For some reason everybody likes the Sony because it has the most features for the money but you always get what you pay for... be aware and audition some other receivers head-to-head with the Sony... find a retailer that has that capability.. if they can't do that... well..

John