I know the feeling. Not many around me either. The one guy that had what I wanted to hear (Brian, from St.Louis) sold it and upgraded. Actually, I almost bought his old one, but I think he had an offer already on the table, or something. Hell, I'd be happy if someone around my area (Kansas...
Unless you moved each of the speakers and set them in the exact location of the others, using the same speaker wire, source, etc. then it's only so much of a test. Plus, listening only really matters if you could use the same receiver you own. But in reality, you really need to do a in...
I'd get some Sony MDR-V6's (US $75 shipped), which are arguable the most popular cans used by DJ's. My buddy has been using a set on a weekly basis for over 15 years, and while the foam is basically gone, they still sound great. They're closed back, fold up, and have a very flat response...
Harman Kardon released updated firmware for the 430 and 630. From HK's site, on what the firmware updates. The addition of Dolby® Pro Logic IIx® processing with complete parameter adjustment. Additional control over digital input auto-polling. Significant reduction of surround...
I would definitely check out a refurbished HK 430, from their store on ebay. You can flash it to DPLIIx, should you desire. I owned a Pioneer 1014 for 3 weeks, and found it nice for home theater, albeit lacking on low end "umph", yet very thin for music. It's not a very musical receiver...