The RX-V1800 to me is a great receiver.It has plenty of power 910 watts 130 rms X 7 some say its over rated if is not by much.It powers my new Paradigm Studio 100s v5 fronts Paradigm Studio 40s v4 surounds A Def Tec clr2002 center 2 yamaha subs & 2 small optimus pro77 rears with ease. For serious music listening on 2 chanell or if you like neo 6 or PLIIx which my older cds sound better on everything sounds great.As for home theater the decoder dose it all. with 4 hdmi 1.3a ins and only 1 out 2 would be better still for the price no complaints.It doesn't have all the bells and whistles it's replacement the RX-V1900 has;it dose have a i pod dock XM satillight radio ready and zone 2&3 outputs.and 22 soundfields.only one small complaint would be nice to have a back lit remote.