Charles, that voice in your head that says "You get what you pay for" may be that of a desperate seller of high-priced goods or services who has no objective way of justifying himself. A more detailed lab test of the 806 in connection with the HomeTheater Magazine review is found
here . Consider also the 876 which has similarly excellent amplification and the superior Reon video processor.
Agreed, the voice is unreliable at times. But your suggestion does prove the voice right this time. The 876 is not in the same league, IMO, as the 806. It has higher current abilities, its video sections is, as you mention, very very good. But it cost twice as much. My dilemma was the BB bankruptcy that had an 806 for $500. The 876 is in my group of contenders with the Denon 3809 and Marantz and Integra 8.9, etc. But I was damn impressed with the 806's power output. I noticed in the store how light it was. I was shocked at the power it put out in the test. Relatedly, the Integra (Lexus of Onkyo) website publishes the High Instantaneous Current Capability of its AVRs. Interestingly, the 9.9 has double the current capability of the 7.9. Am I correct that this indicates a much more robust power supply, and thus better headroom? I expect the same goes for the the Onkyo line. I wish Denon would publish this number as I would be interested to compare apples to apples.
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