best AVR for dual use in HT/music?

Thanks guys - I will lean my research more toward the HK units. I also like the Onkyo look and value - was not sure about their rep in 2-channel sound. B&K/Arcam looks to be too expensive for me - unless I go the used route. Cambridge Audio also has some AVRs to offer, does anyone use their AVRs for HT and 2-channel?

Thanks Loomis. The 3490 does look like a tremendous value, especially considering the digital audio inputs. I was hoping to control the lower frequencies in my B&W 685s, however. A mid-range AVR allows me to control the crossover point of each speaker channel - so I can cut off my B&Ws at +/- 120Hz, and send those low frequencies to my sub.
2-channel setups I have found that can do this include the Parasound 2100 and Emotiva USP-1 preamps. Otherwise I have to buy an external active crossover.

I should also say that I am planning to eventually expand to a 5.1 system, then 7.1... It's going to be a few years tho.

Great advice and that is probably what I will wind up doing, buying an external amp to power the fronts for 2-channel use. The Onkyo units have assignable surround back amps, so I can bi-amp the front channels.
I like HT receivers because I get the internal DAC and am able to use an Airport Express for all my digital rips. 2-channel amps can be had pretty cheaply, there are several Parasound units here at Agon that would work great. Too bad you have to spend $800 minimum to get multi-channel preouts. Well Yamaha has a unit for $550 that has the preouts, but I think would rather have the Onkyo. Every other day I change my mind, looking at Parasound New Classic 2-channel preamp/amp OR the Onkyo TX-NR807+AE+cables. Leaning toward the Onkyo today!

Found an internet deal on a Denon 3310CI, for $950, so I bit. Almost bought the Onkyo TX-NR807, on sale for $800, but opted for the Denon, I suspect it will be better at 2-channel. Will test in 2.1 channel analog direct mode first, and will post results.

the arcam units are gorgeous. and untouchable for guys like me who have two kids in day care! the B&K units are also a dream of mine - maybe someday. For now tho, the Denon I bought will have to suffice. I crossed over my B&Ws at 80Hz, the sub is getting everything under 90Hz, and I also set the rear channels to bi-amp the B&W fronts. This is the only way I can beat the 2.1 channel sound I get from my 15 year old Yamaha. The difference is huge - clear, detailed music from the Denon that has a ton of depth. I used several older CDs for the testing - ones produced in the 80s before they really knew how to produce CDs that sound good. I like this bi-amping thing. it works! Have not tested the Denon on movies with TrueHD or DTS HD yet, waiting on cables. It will be interesting because I don't have all the speakers yet!

UPDATE - the 2-channel sound got a lot thinner once I moved the Denon and the speakers into my living room. Sometimes it sounds like my 685s are floating in the sea of bass created by the VTF-1. I have run the Audessey room correction, which helped, but the sound for music is not quite there yet. I still have the 685s bi-amp'd, but the room is much bigger now, and I am sitting twice as far from the speakers as I was in the office.
One highlight is the internal HD tuner - my wife loves the sound! Just wait until I buy the external 2-channel amp - looking at an HK-870 or a Parasound HCA-1000. Any recommendations on a good used 2-channel amp for this purpose?

Thanks to all contributing to this thread for a full 4 months! UPDATE - I found a guy on A'gon selling a Rotel RB-1080 who officed less than 3 blocks from my workplace. NoBrainer. The 1080 runs the B&W685 fronts, and the sound for music is MUCH improved. I have experimented a lot with the settings on the Denon AVR, and currently I use the Audessey room correction, adjusted for volume with dynamic EQ, and have the Restorer set to HD. Restorer is meant for mp3 playback, it enhances the low and high end, it give the music more depth and detail IMHO. This setup is better for music than using the Denon's "pure direct" mode. Definitely. Backing the 685s up with the HSU is also an absolute must for me. My old college roommate runs Triangle Alteas with a GAS amp and pre, and he agrees my solution sounds good, even tho I have to use an AVR. He's a bit of a purist, so that was very satisfying to hear.
My last foray into stereo equipment was in 1994, Best Buy Yami gear pushing Bose 2.2s, so you can imagine how happy I am with the new setup. My music has never sounded this good. I realize it can sound better.
My next purchase will either be NICE monitor speakers for the office, or a NICE pre-amp with HT pass-thru for the HT setup. Problem is - can't listen to the HT setup at reference volumes all the time. The office is in the basement...and really don't have room for the pre-amp upstairs...why not turn the office into an anechoic chamber?
Simpotica, I came *this* close to buying an Onkyo, went with the denon because I found a great deal thru 6th ave.
Cerrot I read nothing but horror stories about the NAD receivers' reliability, have you had any issues? I was leaning toward NAD, but there is actually a brick and mortar dealer near me who quit carrying NAD because of all the issues. They were buried in warranty repair.

Hey Cerrot - I recently was in a house some friends of mine designed for a hand surgeon. He hired a consultant outfit in Dallas to rig his house with home theater equipment, flat screen TVs, outdoor speakers, etc. etc. He's got it all running off of his iPhone, which is very cool, but to my point: he has two home theaters set up, the big one in the basement he didn't finish out, but the one upstairs in the living room next to the kitchen features a NAD T775. He's only been running it for a few weeks so he had no opinion on its performance. Interesting to note: he did not demo that system for me because he didn't like the speakers. The consultant had placed all of his speakers in the ceiling, so his fronts, center and surround were above him. 14 foot ceilings, mind you. He especially wasn't feeling the bass. His previous rig was all Monitor Audio, which he loved, but he didn't have those set up, only had the small ceiling speakers. An example of a good surround receiver with the wrong implementation?