Can't comment on comparisons personally, but build quality seems to go back to the old analogue days, in fact it reminds me of my Echostar SR 8700 (same size in fact).
No disappointments with receiver sensitivity. Doesn't miss anything my other receivers can pick up, although these things are usually subjective - it's what you've got in front of it (dish, LN
that makes the difference really. I'm happy enough as it's as good as my Echostar ad3000.
Another plus is the cool running, particularly with a hard disc in use.
Llew