Stereo_phile should read my comments regarding the Marantz AV8003 again. Where did I write that the Marantz AV8003 was superior to the sound of the Cary 11a?? In fact, I wrote earlier in my comment that in every showroom where I heard the Cary 11a, I thought that it sounded superior to the Marantz AV8003. What I wrote, and what was obviously missed by Stereo_phile, was that I was very satisfied with how the Marantz AV8003 sounded in "my" particular system and not in any showroom. By the way Stereo_phile have you actually heard the Marantz AV8003 in your "high-end" system??