It has to be better - who would pay double the price just for more fancy case and remote? 
For me, 440 Pro has the best price/performance ratio.
As you already said, the difference between 1000 Pro and 250 Pro is more significant than the difference between 250 Pro and 220 Pro. The difference between 440 Pro and 220 Pro is also more significant than the difference between 250 Pro and 220 Pro. For me, 440 Pro is without a doubt better than 250 Pro, expecially with power "hungry" speakers. The advantage of 250 Pro is the easy path for upgrade to 1000 Pro. 1000 Pro is obviously better, but, for the price of 1000 Pro - there are a lot of other interesting equipment in the market. For the price of 440 Pro - not so. 15k can also be invested into better speakers... Tough choice

For me, 440 Pro has the best price/performance ratio.
As you already said, the difference between 1000 Pro and 250 Pro is more significant than the difference between 250 Pro and 220 Pro. The difference between 440 Pro and 220 Pro is also more significant than the difference between 250 Pro and 220 Pro. For me, 440 Pro is without a doubt better than 250 Pro, expecially with power "hungry" speakers. The advantage of 250 Pro is the easy path for upgrade to 1000 Pro. 1000 Pro is obviously better, but, for the price of 1000 Pro - there are a lot of other interesting equipment in the market. For the price of 440 Pro - not so. 15k can also be invested into better speakers... Tough choice
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