i found it to be better for (my admittedly small) family - only 1 a/v remote to deal with and none of this switch amps on - set to aux input - volume has to be at 12 o clock malarkey. also since dd and dts are lossy compression it seems wasteful to compromise on 2 channel for the sake of a/v when a 150 quid all in one box will do the job perfectly well. this would leave you with the money you were going to spend on 5 channels of mid level amplification to now spend on 2 channels - meaning you have a better chance of getting a better amp. also you could go for a better pre amp or if you are digital only and your dac has a volume control - direct injection straight into the power amp.

just a thought...

cheers

julian.