so my wife will be happy that she doesn't have to look a a table full of remotes. It also comes with the ability to program several macros, so that will be good. I hate having to push seventeen buttons to turn everything on or off. Sorry FWPs again... I paid $1387 otd (this was after my $400 credit) and this seems to be the hold point right now. MSRP was $2200 when it came out in July, but I'm not sure if it will drop much further any time soon. If you can take a listen to one I think you will be impressed at this price point, it has the majority of the features in the two higher models but really, who needs 11.2 surround? If you are on the fence for a new receiver it might be an idea to go take a look at what is out there, especially if it has been more than five years or more since your last look. I got lulled into a sense of complacency and I am sure glad I have this new unit. Onkyo is the best bang for the buck... when they work - they have issues with HDMI boards failing. I opted for a Denon AVR3312, but when you compare specs with any brand at a simliar price point to any Onkyo model, it's usually the Onkyo that looks like the obvious choice. Audyssey is a very neat room calibration tool and your unit has multiEQ