ATI 2005 or Emotiva EPA-5

I would go with te ATI . The voltage gain on a Classe is 28DB , The voltage gain on an ATI balaned is 28dB

The Emotiva 's voltage gain is 32DB . That means calibrating your sysytem is alot trickier with an Emotiva , because at a standard volume , an Emotiva will play louder .

I run my surrounds and center with an ATI 1806 and my mains with Levinson 432. I am very happy with the 1806. The 180x only has single ended inputs, but it is less expensive than the 200x. It replaced a B&K 200.7 and I like it better. No experience with the Emotiva.

I've been using an XPA-5 in a second 5.1 system we have with NHT speakers. It really has exceeded my expectations. I could not see using it in my reference system but it has way more than enough power for any theater application I could think of. It's a beast of an amp. It's plenty dynamic, pretty quiet and a ridiculous bargain under 1k. I was very leery because of all the fanboys but it's the real deal. I have no experience with ATI.

You cant go wrong with ATI. It a powerful unit that Will be able to drive almost any speaker. Even if you decide to upgrade.

Thanks for all your responses

xpa 5 all the way IMO

The ATI will have better current, and afford a cutting edge sound for your surround needs. The Emotiva will mate better with speakers that lead towards and "analytical" or even brighter sounding speaker match.
I found a ATI 1505 for $350 in pristing condition once. What a deal! Tremendous with a James Loudspeakers setup.
...and they're built like tanks

I had ground noise issues with my ATI 1505 no matter what I tried. Other amps plugged into the same outlet, quiet as can be. No exp. with Emotiva.