i remember when ac3 dts 5.1 dvd was firing on all cylinders and everyone thought the AVR amp or avp and 5 channel amp was the thing... people accepted they needed 5 speakers and a sub
3-5-6 channel amps were the big thing people lusted after
that Sony 9000ES was one but a $2,500 usd power amp like this Sunfire was the stuff of dreams where it could be $5,000 of our dollars... the Rotel 985 at the lower end... I ended up with a Parasound BUT a big deal for some was THX certification which sort of guaranteed a minimum standard of performance.
I would love to see how a RB985 compares but I suspect every one of these 5 channel units if flawed in some way.
Rotel is no newcomer to audio electronics, having been in manufacturing for more than 30 years. The RB 985 is their multi-channel power amplifier entry into the home theater market.
hometheaterhifi.com