I have used this reciever for 1 year now and have been just thrilled with its performance..At the time,I had more money allocated for a reciever,but,after reading great reviews on the new THX Elite recievers,and shocked that so many superior interior components were used,I couldnt resist....First,because of the Mosfet output stages used in the Elite line,I feel that the sound is almost tube-like in texture..Very smooth,non-fatiguing, beautifully textured dynamics,with no metallic sibilance common in many solid state recievers...On the inside,you get superior Burr-Brown,Crystal Semiconductor,as well as Motorolla DACs and ADCs...How Pioneer can incorporate all this as well as THX certification for under a grand is beyond me...This unit is also SUPPER quiet...When turned up to refrence levels I had to put my ear right up to the speakers to hear just the slightest hiss!(try that with many other high-end units!)..The Pioneer definately takes a laid back approach to music..Once again,those who prefer that will find this model a joy..Tastes may very on that though..On movies....WOW..This unit performs all DTS and Dolby Digital decoding with power to spare..Detail is fantastic as well as excellent channel seperation..There are some DSP modes,all but a few are adjustable..The 5-channel theater is designed for pro-logic or music material..I find myself preferring just THX,DTS and standard Dolby decoding for most material..Also,you can switch to direct mode for stereo listening and get a pure signal,devoid of any processing....You would be hard pressed to find an equal performer with all the options the Pioneer has for the same price...The new Elite models offer some advancements,mostly the new THX-ES dual extra surround channels..Other then that,I would still reccomend the 26 if you can find it..Not many wives are going to go for those additional pair of surrounds anyway!!

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 799.99