I have the Horizon 7700 and love it. I have another smaller and older Janome, and a few vintage machines, but the more I use my Horizon, the more accustomed I get to it's little extras. It's like having a vehicle with power locks, windows, doors, etc and going back to manual. When I use my take to class machine, I sure miss the thread cutter
The 7700 also has the Accufeed system, and it has no problem going through layers of denim - I've done it. If you seriously plan to do more quilting, you'll love the extra harp space. If in doubt - try them out. Go to the dealers and play with the machines. A good dealer will let you get a feel for the machine before you buy it. (especially the higher priced machines!!)