I would differ as to Sony being the BMW of av equipment. I believe it equates to Toyota which offers models from economy to luxury as does Sony whose lines range from those sold in Best Buy to its ES line. BMW's 540is, 740s and 745is are far removed from the 3 series, and the 525s (the 850i actually was considered a bust and was last manufactured in the mid-1990s).
I bought first the 565 because Meridian made a processor that produced the purest digital signal for music and movies, and remained with Meridian when I traded for a 568 because of above reasons, plus the Trifield mode which brings me more enjoyment than a analog pass-thru. And by analogy I would buy a BMW 3 series, not because it is made by the same people who make the 540i or 745i, but because independently it beats most of the similarly priced competition.