In a thread I responded to several days ago, there was some discussion of surround amps. I made the point that I am using a Bryston 4B-ST for my main front speakers, which are used for "critical" listening. I am currently using an Adcom 5503 to drive the center channel and rear surround speakers and am very satisfied with its performance. I personally do not think that the surround amp needs to be a high-end unit, but it IS important to have adequate power for the center and rear speakers - say, 100 wpc or better. The other factor that may be relevant is to choose a surround amp that has roughly similar sound qualities to your main amp. The Acurus 200x3 is a very decent surround amp and will work fine for most listeners. There are better models available, such as the Bryston 5B-ST (130 wpc) and the Aragon. To state the obvious, audition the amp in your home if possible. There are a lot of variables at play with home theater sound, and your listening environment is near the top of the list.
