Has no one gotten their version 4 861 back recently? Thought I would revive this thread with my comments.

I ran the 861 with my version 3 800 for about a week without utilizing room correction. As others have noted, version 4 sounds better right out of the box. One of those all positive, no negative kinds of improvement. Most noticeable to me was a more focused, transparent and bigger soundstage. If version 4 were nothing more than that, it would be a worthwhile improvement, although not the improvement from version 2 to version 3.

I then ran room correction without difficulty. I have a 7.1 setup, fronts, center sides and rears with three subs, two tied into the .1 channel and one for the center that utilizes that sub's crossover. My room also uses extensive acoustic treatment. The instructions for running room correction and the user interface in general are superb. The software came up with 52 corrections overall.

The combination of version 4 improvements along with room correction improvements was stunning! Others have already noted the dramatic effect that clearing up room modes has not just on low frequencies but on the all-important midrange as well. The sound now has a presence to it that is startling, not achieved at the expense of tonal neutrality. The integration between the channels, which I always though was good, was noticeably improved. I listen to all of my music in 7.1 Trifield and the integration of the three front channels with the sides is flawless. Movie sound is similarly improved. The sound field in the Cinema mode becomes extremely precise and more coherent. I was further impressed with the improvement that came to DVD-A. Better integration from front to back, more precision, better definition.

IMHO, this is a must have upgrade for the 861. The version 4 861 really widens the gap between it and any other processor. Do whatever you need to do to get your 861 upgraded to it.

mw