Rotel RSX-972 Surround Sound Receiver MSRP - $1299 The Rotel has a beefy power supply feeding five separate power amplifiers rated at 100 watts each in stereo and 75 watts each in the surround modes. The receiver’s rear panel sports enough inputs and outputs to satisfy nearly anyone. There’s a 5.1 input for future upgrade (an “anti-obsolescence” feature), and 5.1 channel outputs that let you can hook in a separate power amplifier (if you like the receiver’s features, but want a different amp). Audio I/O’s include 3 coaxial and 2 optical digital inputs, 1 coaxial and 1 optical output (for digital recording) and, for video sources, 5 composite (RCA) inputs (and 3 outputs), 5 “S Video” inputs (3 outputs) and 2 component inputs. There’s also one composite, “S-Video,” and a component video output to send signals to your TV monitor. The component video “passthrough” is a great idea because it lets you patch your DVD player through the receiver. This is a feature my high end preamp doesn’t offer, so I can’t adjust the preamp, using its onscreen menus, without pausing the DVD and switching to the input on my TV that displays the preamp’s output. Speakers hook in via heavy duty five-way binding posts; gold plated RCA jacks accept the patch cords that connect the Rotel to most of your other equipment. The RSX-972 can also run an system in a second room, where you can listen to a different audio source from what’s playing in the main room. The remote needs a little TLC. It should still work though. It’s fully programmable, so you can teach it to operate your other components. The sale comes with the original receiver and remote owner’s manuals As mentioned, the sound quality is excellent and the receiver performed very well driving the satellite/subwoofer speaker system with which I used it. The sound is detailed and not boomy, and it excels in the surround modes. It was on music that I really thought the receiver excelled, though. The bass is well controlled...