Hi John,
I think that Aperion can stand alone with the Line-Up of speakers it carries.
All you need to do is build something good and people will come.
I look forward to future reviews by Aperion on receivers since I have read many varying user reviews, all with a different perception of what they liked in the presentation of music or movies.
I think that my Sony STR-DE997 works well with my 10 Aperion speakers, but I do not have anything to compare it to.
Thanks,
Jack