I acknowledge that the output device issue can cause some folks to prefer the xx50 series, but not in terms of performance. I've owned a number of xx50 series receivers and my take on them (compared to the xx80 series) is the lower models (550-850) are ALL at least the equal (and the farther down you go in that product line the more they pull away from the x80's) but above the 850/880, it becomes a draw and then the 1250/1280 is so close it's a simply a matter of personal preference once you take into account the phono sections, tuner sensitivity. The amp's don't sound appreciably different to me, except the top end is a bit more extended on the 1280. The Bass isn't significantly better on one more than the other beyond sample to sample variation. And then, of course, there's the 1980, which speaks for itself. But having good ole fashioned TO's that aren't hard to find is a real upside. No doubt about it. I've got enough of those outputs to do one 1980, but I don't drive them that hard anymore. Anything over about 10wpc is about as much 1980 as I really need with a double stacked set of 100's. Everybody gets to choose a favorite. It makes a case for having all those models in their receiver line in the first place. That went away and at the time I didn't think I'd ever care, but I'm a little nostalgic about it now...YMMV...