Yay! It arrived, and it works very well... I have my M60's Biamped with its Biamp Front option (since I don't plan on going 7.1 any time soon). It has abundant power reserves. I've cranked it quite a bit and it doesn't seem to want to let down any time soon. This is my first receiver with automatic calibration, and I must say that for multi channel, I am a believer. I still run stereo in 2 ch direct mode so that my signal is unadulterated, but I am game for processing in the multi-channel realm, so I'm happy that I can use that feature.

Sweet! Sounds like you have yourself a nice new toy.

And now the obligatory question: Have you compared bi-amped to non-bi-amped yet?

congrats! I was this >< close to getting that same receiver, but at the last minute my Denon 2805 took the lead. I'm sure you'll be very happy with the Pioneer.

M60's are awesome...

PMBuko: Way too lazy to try that since right now I'm not using terminated wires. Maybe one day I will try it, but I doubt this week - heh. What I really want to try is biamping through the preamp outs to my RX-Z1 one of these days.

Sirquack: If I may ask, what made you go to the Denon? I hope it wasn't anything to do with the audio section of the receiver. I couldn't care less about the video features (since I route my video directly and nothing goes through the receiver).

Sirquack - Not to grill you about this, but I'm also curious about your choice of the Denon. When looking at Denon's site, one would think that the equivalent receiver pricewise would be the 2105 or even the 1905. Was it the extra wattage and additional inputs that drew you up to the 2805?...or did you get some insight from somewhere about the differences in quality/sound between the different Denon models. As you can tell, I am also in the market for a new receiver and have been looking at the 1014TX.

BTW...In my case, my reservation w/ the Pioneer is the lack of Zone2 capability. This receiver will be in my basement possibly driving a theater and other rooms at the same time.

I have this receiver too....I like it a lot, still getting used to it. I run it straight but use IIx for music a ton...sounds good. I dont use any of the EQ coz it softens up the sound too much. The auto calibration is good too, just a minor tweek to the settings and it rocks! Great receiver!

Actually TurboDog1, the pioneer DOES have Zone 2 (for the front 2 channels, that is). It is one of the three options for surround back. (Front Bi-Amp, Zone 2, or actual Surround Back usage). I chose Front Bi-Amp since I am not planning on going 7.1 anytime soon.

Does it also have the RCA outputs for zone 2 (unamplified)? I want to use 7.1, but would like to have zone 2 functionality at the same time.

Well guys, it basically came down to recommendations from folks on this forum, not AVS to biased, but I wanted to get feedback from people that use Axioms. I also talked to Joe, Brent, and I believe Alan once, about there recommendations. I was actually looking at the Elite 53 tx which I believe is similar to this model. I also listened to all of these at local stores. I wasn't big on THX and I like the fact that the Denon had ProLogic IIx, can't remember if the pioneer had that? It seemed the common thing I heard from many people is that Pioneer has been known for falling slightly behind to their competitors when it comes to bells and whistles? All I can say is that this combination is fabulous for movies and music. I'm sure this pioneer would do just fine also...

it has pre-amp outputs on all 7.1 channels, and I can only assume that the output to surround back will be a duplicate of the front channels when front bi-amp or second zone are selected. Sadly, it doesn't allow you to have seperate sources for the two different zones - that would actually be useful.

sirquack: Ahh makes sense. People here tend to really like Denon - heh. Also, in regards to the 53Tx, that is actually a different internally than the 1014. The 1014 is basically a rebadged elite 52Tx minus the RS-232c serial port for computer connectivity and the pretty elite badge with shiny knobs. The 52Tx is actually newer than the 53Tx, but the two aren't too similar in terms of performance and technology.

DOH!!!....That's not what I wanted to hear. I'm actually looking to be able to run two separate sources from the same receiver. I have this now w/ my Yamaha RX-V995, but it's only 5.1....yes, looking for a good solid reason to go 7.1. Thanks.

You know that the rebadged 52Tx is calling out your name... In the end it was the fact that it is a $800 receiver for $400 that made me pull the trigger...

What type of crossover system does the 1014 use? Can you adjust the crossover per speaker like with the HK's or is it one for all? Only reason I ask is another buddy of mine wants me to put together a nice little HT system for him. He has already purchased a 5 channel amp so all I really need is a decent receiver that will act as a pre-pro. He also doesn't want to spend a ton of money so I'm looking at going with a receiver vs. a stand alone processor.

Also, if I got this right the 1014 has pre-outs for all channels?

Sadly it's only a global crossover. It can be set for 50, 80, 100, 150, or 200. Obviously it can be defeated on each set of channels (ie. front, center, rear, or surround back) but it is not independent for each. It does have pre-outs for all 7.1 channels, so it can be used as a pre-pro. It has a very nice decoding engine (48 bit Motorola processor that is the same as in certain theaters). One of the receiver's strong points, however, is its amplification circuitry. Its ADE MOSFET amp circuitry is pretty powerful and efficient. If I may suggest using the 5 chan power amp for the rear 4 channels and center (in a 7.1 configuration) and then the pioneer for just the front 2 channels in bi-amped stereo to give 220 W x 2 on the front and the power amp for the center and rears.

Well after reading and reading, I ended up getting him a Yamaha RX-V1400 to use as a pre. It wasn't my first choice but given the price I was able to get it for, he can't go wrong. It actually may even be a little over-kill as it will be a pre-pro only but better more then less!