Hi gazelle,
I am the person who initiated this thread 2 months ago as i recall, i needed to buy the receiver before i reach the USA and at that time the sc-25 and sc-27 were too expensive and just in the market, and i needed to buy from a good online dealer that accepts international credit cards. I did hear and seen some alternative shops that sell refurbished or used receivers for 30 % less price but i didnt get the luxury of being able to buy from there.
I ended buying the SC-07 from amazon and i am satisfied of the buy till now but i am still experimenting with the receiver. I bought it at 1110 and now (2 weeks ago) it jumped in price to be almost like the sc-25 on amazon.
I heard the older models like the sc-07 and sc-05 have better DACs or is it the ADCs, didnt go into the details. the newer models are better in video processing, to be honest i dont think that matters much. The audio part is more important for me as i have mainly hdmi HD sources.
Now back to your question, althouth the VSX-23 has some video processing that is newer, it lacks as you said the ICE power amps, the output power is less then the sc-05 and the sc-07, and i believe the sc series is of higher better built (but dont think it is a leap). Nevertheless, i chose the sc series for the ice as one of the reasons since i like technology, it might not be better then traditional amplifiers, now what is it? as i understood in plain english, the amplifier design consume less input electrical power for the same output compared to traditional amplifiers, i.e. for example if an onkyo needs a 1000 W AC power to deliver 140 Watts per channel, the ice amp might need 400 or less Watts. so you might save on electricity bills, but i dont think that is an issue unless u have ur amplifier turned on and working for long periods.
But you need to weigh your budget, unless u can find a deal for the sc series.
i hope my answer was helpful and correct
