My last experience with Pioneer was almost 10 years ago. I don't think any comment on that piece would be of any use to you. My only thought, though, is that many (just a guess) of the mass market items in that price range ($500 and under) could have lesser quality components. I can't imagine what the cost of a $350 unit would really be, but after marketing, distribution etc, I think that the mark-ups could make up a large portion of the price, making me think that things such as transformer size etc would be compromised.

Audioreview.com had 25 reviews and averaged 4.2 out of 5, so from the users who responded (be wary, sometimes) they seemed to think it was worth what they paid. I would seriously consider what speaker compliment you are going to be using (efficiency especially) and room size. I would imagine that the 1050 will have more punch, as everybody raves about that.

Wish I had some specific info to give you.

S.