Just stumbled on this thread - I did audition the Yamaha amp for a week prior to purchasing my Anthem 225. The Yamaha is a beautiful amplifier for sure, but the Anthem is effortless in power, and just sounds more organic in my humble opinion, as well as having a more refined top-end. I just feel the value of this Anthem is off scale. But the Yammy sure is a nice one, I don't think you could go wrong with either one.