The Pioneer is a pretty respectable piece of gear, certainly, and without having heard it and the 970 side-by-side there is inevitably going to be some conjecture involved here...

The 970 does give you a few benefits: one additional component input, DVI switching, a couple extra optical inputs, the quad crossover, and the flexibility of bass management on the 7.1 direct input (straight pass-through, 80Hz analog high-pass/low pass, and conversion to digital for the quad crossover). The DVI switching and 7.1 direct bass management options could become particularly handy if you decided to try out one of the upcoming HD disc formats (HD-DVD or Blu-ray). Having used my 990's auto setup (no EQ, but distance and levels), I agree that while it is a handy feature I still feel the urge to get out the tape measure and SPL meter.

The big questions are whether the 970 offers better sound quality than the Pioneer and whether MCACC can offset any improvements provided by the 970. We've seen several reports of 970's winning out over good receivers that were already being used as pre/pros, so I think the 970 is a good candidate for you as well. Depending on your room and speakers, the 970's quad crossover could certainly provide some definite benefits. Some 970 owners might be able to provide more specific examples to help clear the fog a bit, but while you wait for those posts I'll leave you with one thought: Outlaw will let you have 30 days to try the 970 out, and if the Pioneer happens to win out all you have to do is pay to ship it back to them and they'll refund you.