One of the reasons I purchased the 990 and five 2200Ms is the ability to try them out, plus compare them to my current HT set up, in my family room. The good news is that I received my 990 last Saturday the 2200s and XLR cables are scheduled to arrive this Saturday. I understand from one of the Outlaws that the 2200s I will receive are the first, or close to the first, 2200s shipped.

I plan on doing some comparisons between the following setups and I would appreciate it if those with more HT experience could provide some guidance on how to conduct the comparisons and what to listen for. I doubt I can make this a blind test for me since I'll have to make all the connections, but my family will be enlisted.

My thought was to listen to stereo cds, SACD, DVD-A, DTS music and DVDs with the following setups (see previous post for speakers etc):

1. My current Pioneer Elite VSX-43TX receiver. (100 w/channel at 8 ohms)
2. The 43TX with 2200Ms for left, right and center and the 43TX for the two surrounds.
3. The 43TX with 2200Ms for all five channels.
4. The 990 and five 2200Ms.

What would you listen for during the comparisons?
Would you disconnect the subwoofer to just hear the left, right, center and surrounds?
Are there things to check without any input (e.g. hiss)?
Anything else?

Any help would be appreciated.