Pioneer SC-1222-K $549 shipped @ Newegg

I picked one up (will hook up once my upstairs room renovation is done) a couple weeks ago. Seems like this is the receiver that Newegg is consistently putting on sale every few weeks.

Seems like a good deal b/c it's essentially the same thing as the Elite SC-61 (minus the longer Elite warranty and 12V trigger, I believe) and it's 4 ohm rated.

Would you recommend this over something like a Marantz SR5007?

I need to look at this pioneer a little more. I really need something with pre-outs so i can add an amp at some point. If it has that capability, i am wondering how it compares to the 5007 which is another one i am thinking about getting or is the pioneer the best for its money in this category?

Couldn't tell you just yet. I'm actually a Denon-Marantz guy normally, so this is a change for me. I recently switched from a Marantz 7002 to a Denon 4311 in my main room. Supposedly, Audyssey (Denon) is the preferred room correction system over Pioneer's own MCACC (sp?).

I got this receiver b/c I need something that I know can drive 4 ohm speakers (I'm going to use M&K speakers in this 2nd HT room of mine) and it looks like a pretty good value. I think the Pioneer has better video upscaling (if that matters to you) while Denon-Marantz has the better room correction system. Denon has the better GUI system. All the other differences in features seem pretty nitpicky to me and it'll come down to what sounds better to you. I can't determine that just yet.

Powerwise, I don't think Marantz is what they used to be. They used to not exaggerate their watts per channel. For example, my old SR7002 was listed at 110W per channel, and I think with 5 channels driven, it wasn't far off from that number. The newer Marantzes are lighter in weight and their bench tests indicate a bigger drop from their "advertised" power when 5 or more channels are driven.

I've been putting it off and now that they have discontinued the 1522, the 1222 is back up to 1099.00. I should have snagged this when I first saw it at $549. That'll teach me. Who knows maybe I'll get another "Just for Me" solicitation with it at that price. Fingers crossed.

I was moping around thinking it'll never go on sale again and I missed out. And since the 1522 was discontinued on their site and everybody else wants MSRP . . . Then at 3:02am this morning I got the Newegg 48 Hour Sale eMail and snagged one right then and for less than I have seen it to date. Should have it by Monday. The last time I just cleaned up the rack that it will go in, it took me 12 hours. Just thinking about swapping out my VSX-D909S has got me exhausted already. Gonna have to plan an "all-nighter event". I hope this turns out to be as cool as it seems to be . . . . It's all really kinda petty because I plan on getting one of the top-of-the-line Elites eventually. But they keep changing things and making it cooler and cooler and I keep waiting. This will be a nice interim solution. I feel kinda sad about replacing my 909. It's been a really great unit. I have had it before it was available on the retail market and long before there was any 7.1 media. Even before 5.1 was just starting. G'bye ol' friend . . .

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