I am hesitant to say anything too negative about a $365 receiver, but for good reason. The VSX-815 offers a tremendous amount of features for the money and is not overtly lacking in anything that others in its price range might offer. Combining a host of video and audio options with a solid interface, and an auto setup feature that may or may not be to your liking, this Pioneer entry level receiver can power your home theater to very high SPL levels. We also were impressed by how well it tackled the unfair challenge we put before it with our Reference System speakers - and our ratings take this into account. While those demanding only the best in terms of signal to noise ratios and amplifier power will have to shell out for more power, this unit should be more than sufficient to drive any 8-ohm home theater speakers within its comparative price range. There are a host of retail dealers that carry this unit and you should be able to give one a test drive and see if it has the features you want at this price point. My guess is it will and you'll be able to enter the world of home theater with a smile on your face and some money still left in your wallet.