Ok, let me recap my day for you guys. At about one, I headed off to best buy to buy myself an sc-57 and some other toys. At about three, I got home and started to replace my vsx-94txh (I have pictures to be posted later). As soon as I got everything hooked up, I, naturally, turned on my iPad to play some tunes. At this point, I heard this awful static like, buzzing noise coming out of the surround right speaker. Oh dang. I wasn't too concerned, just a bit frustrated, as I thought it was from a problem stemming from the iPad. Wrong. I turned on directive, comcast, bluray, ps3, xbox, airplay, and it persisted. Clearly, I was very distraught and frustrated. I tested some things, such as inserting other speakers' wires into that surround right port, and it continued onto any speaker connected to that input. Frustration level peaked.
And at about 5, off I go again to best buy with the knowledge that they have one more sc-57 in stock. They did,and I got my replacement in fifteen minutes without any hassle. I got home, hooked it up, ran the MCACC, and listened to some football and tunes. All of this sounded great. Having never seen the GUI of any sc series, I expected better, but that isn't a major concern. Also, I tested some high outputs at various frequencies, and they ran my 4 ohm speakers perfectly. For me, and it may or may not be in my head, the sound feels cleaner than when on my 94. I'm still getting AirPlay worked out because I have two different wireless networks in my house, so it's kinda struggling to find the right one as my iPad (more on this later).
Overall, it seems very good. The Internet radio and pandora worked well. I liked how I could, by pressing one button, switch control of my iPad/iPod between the AVR and device, all while sound kept going through the receiver. Sound seems great, but at this moment. I have no front height or wides or a second sub to stretch its limits. Also, it is in a secluded area of the house, so it will take me awhile to get zones figured out.
I'm good for answering questions.