Here is the problem I have with the Pioneer amp, it is moving up into the high quality side of amps, or at least it believes it is. More quality means less quantity. While I am sure it is a good amp, the Pioneer is only 60 watt to 4 ohms. Which in turn means the real power rating to 8 ohms is closer to 40 watts. That's still an OK amount of power, but £350 is a lot of money to pay for a 40 watt amp. (£350 is the typical price I found the A-A6-J for. I didn't see it anywhere for £229.)
I'm just not sure it represents the best value for your money.
In 40 watt amp, for about £200, you can get a NAD C315, Marantz 5003, or any one of several other amps that are good acceptable quality. You can get a 60w Yamaha amp for £210. The Yamaha, while good, probably doesn't equal the quality of the NAD or Marantz, but it does represent good value for the money.
Even the Harman Kardon amps, while they may not be the absolute best, they certainly are good and represent good value for the money.
Rather than spend £350 on the Pioneer, if you want top quality, you would be better off spending the same £350 on a Rotel RA-05 with 40 watt per channel.
Keep in mind with the Harman Kardon, you can get 80 watts per channel for less. In another thread, someone wondered if the Harman's were too good to be true. So, I compared their price with other similar Receivers from different manufacturer's and found that the price of the Harman was consistent with the others, though admittedly on the low end of the spectrum.
I don't think anyone is saying the the HK are the greatest amps made, but the feedback we are getting is that they are good value and perform well above their price.
Now if you want amps that are truly 'too good to be true', consider the -
Sony STR-DH100 Receiver with 90 watts per channel to 8 ohms for only £159.
or the -
Teac AG7090 Receiver with 100 watts per channel to 8 ohms for only £169.
If you are in dark and desperate circumstances and want a 'get by for now' stereo, these might be worth considering, but you have to understand that to reach that low price point with that much power, some real sacrifices had to be made.
I don't trust these, but I do reasonably trust the Harman Kardon.
Now I'm not just pushing that Harman Kardon, there are many other amps that represent better value and better quality for the same price as, or less than, the Pioneer.
To some extent it is about your priorities. For some, absolute quality trumps power and features. For others they want a balanced blend of quality and quantity. For other, they want the absolute most for the absolute least. Somewhere in this spectrum you have to find yourself.
Personally, I've always looked at the midrange consumer products; not super cheap and not super expensive. I feel I get the most value of my money when I try to achieve a reasonable blend, or balance, of quantity and quality. I think this is also where most consumers are.
Now, if you can actually find that Pioneer amp for that price (£229), that is a pretty good deal. But the power and specs on the Pioneer A0307R amp are very close to the A-A6-J, and the price is only £179. Other than the Cambridge Audio, the Harman Kardon, the Yamaha, and the Marantz not much comes close to it. If you can spend a little more, say closer to £300, then look at Rotel, NAD C325 and C326, or perhaps the Onkyo TX8555.
Again, I'm not that familiar with the current line of Pioneer equipment, but what I see, I'm only moderately impressed with. Keep in mind, historically, I'm a big Pioneer fan. I've had a Pioneer amp and turntable for MANY years and they are both still serving me faithfully. But the new stuff, just doesn't seem to equal the old stuff. But that is very much just my opinion.
In the end, all we can do is give our opinions, the final decision is up to you, and you shouldn't just take out word for it. Listen to the various amps if you can. And, read professional on-line reviews. Get a composite view from a variety of sources, but in the end, nothing is a better test than listening.
Steve/bluewizard
