I wouldn't be so quick to discount what a good high powered amp can do for a system.I for one have been running seperates for nearly 20 years and would never go back to a receiver.For one you really never know if the power that is stated for a typical receiver is actually what it has.In most cases it only has a fraction of what the manufactures state.In contrast most seperate amps are pretty much dead on when it comes to the stated specs. Also I keep hearing that most people only use a few watts of power at typical listening levels, well I guess I don't listen at " typical levels ".I do listen to my music at pretty high volume, most if not all of the time.I do feel more comfortable knowing the amp I bought really has the power to perform without hesitation or failure when I really do need the power.
