If i was spending the money, i would buy the Signature. Then again, that's me : )
Seriously though, i own both the Signature and non Signature versions of the two and five channel amps. In my HT system, the standard versions worked well but ran out of steam when really throttling the system hard. Bare in mind that they did much better in this regard than some other amps rated for even more power. From there, i went to the Signature versions which gave me more of the headroom that i needed. I will say that there are differences in the sonics between the two channel and the multi-channel and from what my ears tell me, between the Signature and the standard models. In my system, the Signature versions ( both two and five channel ) sounded best.
As to a different point of view, my Dad was running my Sunfire two channel amp for a while with another amp for his center and surrounds. I temporarily brought over my 5 channel Sig and let him run that for a bit while we were getting some other things straightened out with his system. After getting things where i wanted them, i ended up bringing over the standard Cinema Grand and setting him up with that. In his opinion, the standard Cinema Grand was sonically superior to the Signature version. That made me happy, as i thought that the Signature sounded better in my system. As such, we were both happy campers sonically and i didn't have to spend any more money : )
As a side note, the Architectural Series are supposedly slightly beefier than the "full size" versions. This has to do with power supply revisions, etc... Due to the smaller chassis and limited heat dissipation though, they may run slightly hotter.
One thing that i would suggest with ANY Sunfire amp is that you should get some type of solid "cone" type footer underneath them. This elevates the amp off of the support shelf, allowing it to breath better. The "weird" thing about these amps is that they dispurse their heat from the bottom plate, not out of the top or sides. As such, soft footers placed underneath the amp can be damaged from the heat if you stand on the throttle long enough.
I would also suggest a good heavy gauge power cord. Even though these are "high efficiency" amps, they can still pull TONS of current if called upon to do so. If you really want any of these amps to work their best, especially if you have low impedance / low sensitivity speakers, a dedicated 20 amp line is a must.
If buying used, the first or second production run of their amps have permanently mounted cords, all of those produced after that make use of IEC's. While i hate IEC's for their poor connection qualities, they are convenient when it comes to trying various power cords. Sean
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