Thank you for the insight. I'm going to have to think on this.
$320 is almost half what I spent on it 7 years ago. But it seems like the prices on amps are way up from what they were 7 years ago. This particular amp is 7.1. I've currently got my center channel, left and right, surrounds, and then rears. The surrounds are mounted in the walls and the rears are in the ceiling.
From what I understand, I'm going to need something like a 7.1.2 or 7.1.4 system. But from what I've read, they do the nomenclature different now than they did years ago. So I think now I'd need a 9.1? Or an 11.1? Depending on how many height speakers I added? When I bought this particular amp, it was $799 on sale. But it seems like now I'm going to have to spend $1700 for something suitable. That's a big jump.
FWIW we generally call "amps" a power amp. A pre-pro (pre-amp/processor) has no amps. An avr has the pre-amp/processor and amps combined with a radio tuner and/or internet apps/access. Then there are older 2ch integrated amps...
If you want 7.1.2 the 9.1 avrs with Atmos type processing would be able to handle that on their own; some of those "9.1" avrs have the processing but not all the onboard amps for 7.1.4 , so you need to add an external (power) amp. Getting an avr with a full set of pre-outs is a good idea in any case to give you flexibility on what your power needs may be down the line. For example the Denon X3xxx series that has been mentioned changed between the 3500, a 7.2 avr for both amps and processing, but the successor models 3600 and 3700 both are 9.2 for amps and 11.2 for processing. This series of Denon avrs (and those above it) also have two discrete subwoofer channels for setting delays and level and have Audyssey XT32 processing, whereas some avrs with the ".2" desgination are the same sub output, just split for two terminals which Audyssey XT avrs cannot take advantage of (like your current avr).
It wasn't that long ago you could get much better deals on avrs but right now there are various issues in the supply lines and even the rollout of the latest avrs has had some stumbling blocks for implementation of the latest/greatest HDMI 2.1/eARC features, as well as processing chips generally (and a particularly important chip plant for AKM burned down causing further supply issues).
Chances of your power amps going up in value 40-50 years later like TLS' would still not be likely but for inflation which could make it seem that way, good luck with that. AV gear is generally not an "investment" except in your listening/viewing pleasure. Some brands/builds may be better survivors or have better value retention. My avrs are more like yours in general (one XT32 Denon, one XT Denon, an XT Onkyo and a pre-hdmi Sony) but I am not using 4K displays or Atmos type speakers but I'd need to change avrs if I wanted to get up to speed with current av tech....
