Harman Kardon seems to think ACD (all channels driven) is important, so it's at the front of their minds when publishing advertised ratings. They probably don't do this because they really think it's really important, but because their customers seem to think so. Every company should have a niche to compete in it's respective market. With receivers their aren't many innovations that one manufacturer has exclusive rights to, so they rely on clever marketing to appear to have an advantage significant enough to choose their product. Other methods, in the case of H/K, are catering to home theater enthusiasts that take ACD as a serious factor H/K receivers typically benchtest in the same range of power as the competition (in the same price bracket of course). So with that knowledge you now understand that these brands don't really have a huge upper hand, if any in some cases, on the competition in regards to actual performance. Other factors to consider as well are biased opinions, which may or may not have been the in case in your observations. It's really hard not to be subjective with this stuff. I still struggle with being subjective with things. Being subjective can work with you or against you, same as with being objective.
On the other hand Onkyo's lasteryear 805 would kick any present H/K AVR's butt in any configurable amplifier scenario. The 806 is a bit slimmer (by 20 pounds, enough to get the wife excited) than the 805 and doesn't quite have the power of it's older brother.
It seems very likely that the H/K's would sound pretty much in line with the 806 and better than the 6160 (which benchtested less favorably than it's predecessors) and the Pioneer (which sounds like it's an older model anyway).
The 805 is the biggest baddest AVR I've seen at such a suggested retail price, and even a bigger deal at street prices. Good Lord, talk about completely illogical.
