Tvad...You have a good point that digital amps make it possible to have half a dozen or so without dimming the lights or draining the bank account. Great for HT.
However, I am one who believes that, at least for music, every channel, amp and speaker, should be of the same high quality one would use for a 2-channel rig. When this is not done, which is often the case, audiophiles don't like multichannel. My "main" system is multichannel using the same stuff, eg: Maggie MG1.6, that I would use for a 2-channel system, but it has no video screen. Just a little 13" TV in the equipment rack for setup. In another room I have a plasma screen with a minimal multichannel audio rig (Panasonic SA-XR25 and inwall speakers) which is just fine for movies and TV.
However, I am one who believes that, at least for music, every channel, amp and speaker, should be of the same high quality one would use for a 2-channel rig. When this is not done, which is often the case, audiophiles don't like multichannel. My "main" system is multichannel using the same stuff, eg: Maggie MG1.6, that I would use for a 2-channel system, but it has no video screen. Just a little 13" TV in the equipment rack for setup. In another room I have a plasma screen with a minimal multichannel audio rig (Panasonic SA-XR25 and inwall speakers) which is just fine for movies and TV.