Closer to an amp decision

I posted a couple of weeks ago about starting to look for new amps and I've been doing some research around the traps on which one I should get.

Originally I was looking at the Yamaha RX-V863, Onkyo TX-SR606 and Harmon Kardon AVR 255. However, I've discovered an amp from the previous generation (now currently in the same price range) that looks like it might be the perfect choice. The Sony STR-DA3300ES is now on sale at JB Hifi for $981 (the cheapest of all of the choices) and seems to fit the bill very well.

In the few reviews that are out there it seems to be an outstanding amplifier. The only real feature that is missing from the new generation amps is the TrueHD decoding which my blu player will do.

The big draw cards are the 100-Watts x 7 with the option to bi-amp 2 channels or run multi zones (because I really need to listen to different music in the lounge and kitchen), Neural-THX, (finally some THX decoding to go with the THX speakers) and the best upscaling chip (the main reason for and amp upgrade in the first place) of all the other amps in the list. It does only have 3 HDMI ports but does offset with enough component ports.
I'm still to have a serious listen but finding similar speakers to listen with is a challenge. Being a while stocks last sale item I might have to make a decision sooner rather than later.