Well, I won't speak for everyone, but if I were a betting man, I'd bet the farm that you're going to be happy. I also bought this receiver from ubid not really needing a new receiver. I was using an Onkyo TX-SR602..not a bad receiver by any means..perfectly adequate for me. However, when I saw the opportunity to get a $1300 for under $600, it seemed like a no brainer. What differences did I notice?
1) A fuller sound. I'm not sure what to attribute this to. More power maybe? I'm not sure. The 602 was 85wpc, but with all channels driven, I don't know how accurate that number is. The sr8400 is 110wpc. I can tell you that the volume know doesn't go as far right as the Onkyo did in order to get room filling sound.
2) Pre-outs. This was critical in the decision making for me. What that allows me (you) to do is grow this receiver. Not enough power down the line? No problem. Pre-out to a dedicated amp, whether it's 2 channel or multi channel, or some combination of the two and you're set. The receiver then plays the role of a pre-amp. A huge plus in my mind. 110w may not be enough forever. If I want to connect a 300w amp to it down the road, it can be done. A huge plus over my onkyo in my book.
3) HDCD decoding. Until recently, I thought you had to have a HDCD player to play HD cd's. Not the case. Check out hdcd.com if you want to confirm. If your cd player/dvd player is hooked to a receiver DIGITALLY (not analog) that has an HDCD decoder, you're set for HDCD listening. The receiver can receive the digital signal and do the decoding there, as opposed to having an HDCD player doing the decoding onboard. Another bonus that I found out AFTER I bought the receiver. So, I was pleasantly surprised.
4) Quality build. You'll see when you get it. This think is very, very well built. A HUGE improvement over my Onkyo. It simply looks and feels impressive. It had an msrp of $1299 for a reason.
I could go on and on, gushing about my purchase. Suffice it to say, you've purchased a very nice, very capable receiver. Post back when you get it and let us know how you like it. It's the hot item right now.
By the way, what speakers are you hooking up to it?
