I went through this almost one year ago. The most important advice has been given over and over again...listen for yourself.
The first 5-channel amp I listened to in my system was the Meridian. It's not welll known and you don't hear much about it. I immediately liked this amplifier very much. To be sure I listened to the Dreadnaught and BAT multi-channel. IMO the latter two were very analytical and harsh in comparison. The Meridian was very musical while the others were not. I could not listen to music very long with the Theta and the BAT. With the Meridian I could not stop listening!
In the end I decided to go with a two channel amp (actually two in bi-amp mode) and a three channel amp for center and surrounds. Every thing ultimately is a trade-off of some kind and I choose to favor 2ch over the occasional weekend HT use. With this "compromise" HT is quite good and 2ch is great!
I'm quite convinced that if I was determined to have one multi-channel amp, it would be the Meridian.
The first 5-channel amp I listened to in my system was the Meridian. It's not welll known and you don't hear much about it. I immediately liked this amplifier very much. To be sure I listened to the Dreadnaught and BAT multi-channel. IMO the latter two were very analytical and harsh in comparison. The Meridian was very musical while the others were not. I could not listen to music very long with the Theta and the BAT. With the Meridian I could not stop listening!
In the end I decided to go with a two channel amp (actually two in bi-amp mode) and a three channel amp for center and surrounds. Every thing ultimately is a trade-off of some kind and I choose to favor 2ch over the occasional weekend HT use. With this "compromise" HT is quite good and 2ch is great!
I'm quite convinced that if I was determined to have one multi-channel amp, it would be the Meridian.