Going from a receiver to separates, I feel provides an immediate audible impact one can hear. The sound stage, separation and detail of musical instruments are just awesome. The 990 is one hell of a buy. Team it with the 2200 Mono blocks and you got one hell of a serious foundation for multi-channel/stereo set up. I have compared and audition alot of components at the CES show. Is there something better than the 990/2200 combo. Yes there is, but you are going to have to spend 10s of thousands to hear the difference in detail. Try the combo, you can always return it if you did not like it. Have fun.