Thats interesting.Friends with Bel Canto and ICE amps have had no problems[so far].It would be interesting to hear from the pro audio side how reliable the digital type amps are proving.
I have heard that the HK receivers were rubbish but the Panasonic ones seem to be highly regarded[XR50,XR70 etc]
I agree that these devices should be cheaper.This will probably happen though-as it has with large TVs .They will probably end up $400 throw aways when they die.That's the way many things are going unfortunately.
Pro audio has already headed down this path with the Behringer gear.