I'm with Matt. Use preouts and buy some decent amplification. right now is not the best time to pull the trigger on a new AVR. Unless you dont obsess over the minute details that some of us do..... wink

The whole Watts spec and quoting Ohms law is not meaningful. These equations are theoretical and are only valid into purely resistive loads. Ie. Voltage and current are in phase. The exact opposite of a loudspeaker over its range.

The best explanation to sum it up in plain language came from a podcast with Laurie Fincham. To parhrase: "We concern ourselves with watts but this is not important at all. Amplifiers are a voltage supply device. We need to find out if a given amplifier is stable into a variable load at the required voltage. Then we must confirm there is no sag in voltage or current during impedance swings during program material." There is no one spec that determines this in a user manual. The best specs are checking for double down and if the manufacturer gives an all ch driven 20-20 output figure at 1% distortion. Most dont and cant deliver respectable numbers if so.

I also agree that Cambridge units sound fantastic, but I found out their reliability and firmware is problematic. I was so close to buying a 650R. I own another quirky British unit and it was a major upgrade over my previous Pioneer. Even at a quoted 50wpc less.....