Recommendation on an AMP please

Try Outlaw Audio. You can get a 7200 amp for under 2K. It is a 7 channel 200 wpc at 8 ohms and 300 wpc at 4 ohms. Only drawbacks are no balanced inputs and it throws off a lot of heat. I have one and it sounds great. They offer a 30 day free trial period. If you don't like it you can ship it back for a refund but you will have to pay shipping 1 way if you return it. One other drawback is it weighs 90 lbs. I have one and it pushes my 6 ohm JBL's effortlessly. www.outlawaudio.com

For $300, you can get a Behringer ep4000 which is bench-tested at 450 watts per channel at 8 ohms x 2 channels. 800wpc @ 2ohms. If you are using it in-room and need it quiet, a $20 fan replacement takes care of that issue.

However, it doesn't have a fancy faceplate. I'm sure the $1000 you save could take care of that problem. Youl could have one custom milled out of pure gold.

Emotiva has a sale right now on all their amps.

I suggest looking at the
http://www.emotiva.com/xpa3.shtm

to drive your front 3 speakers and use the receiver to drive the rears. The rears don't need as much power as the fronts.

Not a bad idea. One thing to keep in mind is that amp power ratings and receiver power ratings are vastly different. A 140 wpc amp with discrete amps for each channel is probably close to a 250 wpc receiver in terms of power. Personally, I can't imagine anyone really needing more than a true 100 wpc amp at 8 ohms. That is unless you're amplifying for a large restaurant or bar.