I have a refurb 1008 I got for the secondary basement system a couple of years back. I really like it. It started with redoing the main system and moving away from a pre/pro (had a Bryston SP1.7) into a 2-channel preamp with HT Bypass. I picked up an Integra DTC 9.8 locally on Craigslist once I got the 2-channel preamp. No, it is not what I would consider great for music (I currently use a Modwright LS36.5 DM preamp and a Modwright KWA-150SE amp) but I was blown away by how good it was for HT (and I had the Bryston in the system for years). I had bought a Pioneer 1120 when it was current to replace an older Marantz 7300 OSE receiver in the basement and I was really disappointed in both movies and music. The room was just too big. The Pioneer sounds really good in the office system driving Mobile Fidelity OML1s. So I decided to try the Onkyo 1008 and I could not be happier. Prior to that I had not owned Onkyo components in years. Many moons ago, I used to have an old 828THX rec'r in the bedroom system (I have a Marantz 6003 now) with a CD changer and a cassette deck. I still have the cassette deck (gets used about every 5 years) and the last I talked to the guy who I sold the rec'r too and later gave him the changer, they are both still running and they have to be 15+ years old. Many times reviews on those sites are people who can't figure out technology and don't understand how to use things. Since I am going to move in a bit over a year and had stuff laying around, I sold the old Marantz 7300 OSE to a friend cheap and gave me a Blu-Ray player and an Oppo HDMI switch. I had to go over and help him re-set-up what he did. He reversed the channels among other things.
