Actually, as of yesterday, the output is a concern for me too. I have one pair of speakers that are really efficient horns, and 2 others that are just average. The new version has a switch that lowers the output drastically, but it's way out of my price range. I don't care about the remote, and actually love the dual volume controls, as I have them on a different pre and use them as a balance control.
I wonder how much of an issue the output would be. I can't turn up the volume much on my current pre, but it sounds good.