aragon and klipsch are sister companies..??? correct .. and i have had HK' top recievers and yes they are nice .. and will play (loud) as you say ,, but the 990 has more separation and sound quality .. i can put the hk 7300 and the hk 310 and my onkyo all next to my 990 and compare .. and have .. the hk's 2 channel is nice but the 990 is better.. the onkyo;s HT beats the hk's but isnt quite the outlaw .. oh and one big thing i think some of these folks saying the sub out is weak just have never had good bass management.. or have lower class subs .. most cheaps subs sound good at 60 to 100 hz .. well if you 990 is set to cut at 60 and your subs db at 60 hz and lower dives its not going to be loud .. you may want to make sure you didnt get a defective unit . i dont know what aragon you have but if you are comparing the stage one to a 990 the stage one is 3 times the price.. not quite a good comparison..