This has been super informative for me. Thank you all.

Some of the comments lead to more questions. So I am not able to help it. Do folks have anything concrete good or bad to say about the slim-line of receivers? I noticed Integra has one in the form of DSX-3 and Marantz has some in the form of NR1x08 (x = 5, 6). They are a bit underpowered but their physical appearance is also a bit underwhelming which is a plus for me.