Gotta agree with 2X6 here. No matter how much John knows and how much he trusts corporate America (I'm not insulting him because its obvious he knows a lot, but some people can be too trusting), Not every amplifier manufacturer is gonna be perfectly compliant with (super strict) FTC rules. A Sony rated at 100 channel is not the same as a Denon, or HK. Plain and simple. Whether or not you need 100 continous watts to seven channels for five minutes within rated distortion is not the point. The point is some manufactures accurately and honestly advertise power ratings and some push the envelope. Anyone who is familiar with accounting or finance practices knows what I'm talking about.