I was looking at Pioneers last year before i bought my Onkyo.
Sound quality aside, the specs for the Pioneer top model (MSRP $4000Cdn) were rated for 6 ohms and up.
I was downright shocked that their flagship model was not listed as supporting 4 ohm speakers for that much cash.
In having a former roomate that owned a Pioneer, and having gone into a shop to look at a VSX 39TX, i can attest to the generous heat output of their receivers.
These two qualities alone made me question the build quality of Pioneer receivers.
Then the final straw. i received a bad review from one of the local electronics gurus here (not a salesman) who also had a rather negative comment on the Pioneer receiver build quality, basically something to do with inadequate amps and heatsinks. I won't go looking for Pioneer receivers again until i start hearing (and reading) better things.
All that aside, i think Pioneer receivers sound just fine and i have seen them drive 4 ohm speakers before, but hey, my Onkyo does the same thing, for the same price, but virtually without any heat.
I believe Denons fall into the same, low heat category, although there have been a couple of posts about H/K also running rather warm.
If you are looking for under 1k, i do suggest you take a look at the Denon, Yamaha and Onkyo offerings.
