I've never been a big fan of Sony receivers, even the ES line which cost a lot more. I know this receiver is fairly affordable, being had for under $300 with some online etailers. HK makes a high-current design that is normally full bandwidth rated and their guts are going to be a lot beefier. So my guess is that since it is one of the entry level surround AVR's from sony, the internals/electronics/amp sections will not perform as well as more expensive models.
Yes, you could add an amp to drive your mains and let the Sony handle the other speakers. However, for what your going to pay for an amp, you might have been better just paying more and get an entry level Denon, HK, etc...
Maybe someone else will have better feedback.
