The Denon AVR-1804 DOES have bass and treble controls... you go to tone control on the front of the unit (or from the remote as well) and then there are separte settings for both treble and bass. There are no indivual knobs for the function but it doesn't matter as once you press the tone control button you can use the select knob to change the setting... also there is a tone defeat button that allows you to go back to a neutral setting to listen to the difference in sound. In addition to that you can use the direct mode for any source that also overrides your treble/bass settings, while leaving the unit in stereo mode allows for what you have set. The Denon unit also uses its "Personal Memory Plus" which allows you to set the treble and bass differently for different sources... want more bass when you have a movie in Dolby Digital? You can set it up that way while leaving the stereo mode to have more treble for your CD's. I am really impressed with this unit and I do not think you can beat the price per watt from any other unit with the sale Crutchfield is running. Its crisp, clean sound that pairs very well with the Axiom's (I have the M22's and can't get the volume past -20)
