Bought an XR55 because I was intrigued by the XR55's digital amp, suspiciously positive reviews, and small size. I planned on keeping my trusty B&K 200wpc dedicated amp and Pre-amp until I could find a buyer, then get a Pioneer 1015 and move the Panasonic into the den. That *was* the plan.

Uh, the XR55 just humiliated my seperates, guys. No, it *spanked* them. The straight 2-channel sound field produced by the XR55 was more detailed, warmer, broader, and was just plain superior on every level. Sounded like somebody pulled a couple layers of carpeting off the front of my speakers. A little 9lb A/V receiver just crushed my 40+lb dedicated amplifier and matching pre-amp. That's not fair - at all.

I guess the question now is if I should wait for other manufacturers to jump on the digital amp bandwagon because if the Pany sounds that good, it's only a matter of time before others follow and improve the performance. True/false?