best AVR for dual use in HT/music?

Anyone using Sony ES receivers? How do they compare to Denon,Onkyo and Yamaha? I can get a very good deal on a da2100es and wonder if it's worth it. Thanks

Arcam...avr for audiophiles that happen to like movies as well.

the arcam units are gorgeous. and untouchable for guys like me who have two kids in day care! the B&K units are also a dream of mine - maybe someday. For now tho, the Denon I bought will have to suffice. I crossed over my B&Ws at 80Hz, the sub is getting everything under 90Hz, and I also set the rear channels to bi-amp the B&W fronts. This is the only way I can beat the 2.1 channel sound I get from my 15 year old Yamaha. The difference is huge - clear, detailed music from the Denon that has a ton of depth. I used several older CDs for the testing - ones produced in the 80s before they really knew how to produce CDs that sound good. I like this bi-amping thing. it works! Have not tested the Denon on movies with TrueHD or DTS HD yet, waiting on cables. It will be interesting because I don't have all the speakers yet!

UPDATE - the 2-channel sound got a lot thinner once I moved the Denon and the speakers into my living room. Sometimes it sounds like my 685s are floating in the sea of bass created by the VTF-1. I have run the Audessey room correction, which helped, but the sound for music is not quite there yet. I still have the 685s bi-amp'd, but the room is much bigger now, and I am sitting twice as far from the speakers as I was in the office.
One highlight is the internal HD tuner - my wife loves the sound! Just wait until I buy the external 2-channel amp - looking at an HK-870 or a Parasound HCA-1000. Any recommendations on a good used 2-channel amp for this purpose?

The onkyo's are very good on hometheater but no too good on music. I think when it comes done to real multi-channel HT/music, YAMAHAS & DENONS are the best AVR'S by far. However, this is just my opinion. I feel if one matches speakers, wires, and line conditioners correctly, the sound just might surprise ya! For example; if you had an AVR-3808CI DENON receiver and Paradigm speakers and cables from Nordust-Blue-Heaven series or wireworld and a line conditioner by Furman will produce a sound that would be lights-out/amazing! Another example; if your a YAMAHA fan like me, one would want to match gear correctly. First of all, if one had an AVR-YAMAHA RX-Z9 AV receiver, Klipsch spealers, and cables from straight wire and wireworld,MIT, plus a line conditioner from Furman, the sound produce would be astonishing better than anything you ever heard!