need help deciding on a new ht reciever


Need help with reciever choices...

I am in the market for a new reciever and need some help. First off, I currently have the Denon 3802 which I do not hate, but I want more for my new house. The room will be 26'x16'x9' with a/v equipment at the end of the long stretch. I have Paradigm Studio 60v.2, CC, and 20s for the rears. I am going to power the front 3 chs with an Odyssey Stratos HT3 and the remaining two speakers plus porch speakers with the reciever. I use Signal Cables all around. I will use this system for 50/50 music and HT. I have narrowed my search to the B&K (505), NAD (762), or Marantz (7300) receivers. I like my music very loud and crystal clear, and I hate brittle bright harsh highs! I think the Denon's pre-amp section gives me most of what I dislike in my system. I do like tight punchy bass, but this will come from the Odyssey and the sub (HSU). I will need Dolby Prologic II and video switching (component cables) so that makes soem of the older models no good for me. Can anyone compare and contrast these receivers for me? remember, I will use an Odyssey Stratos HT3 for amplification so it is really more important what the pre-amp section does, rather than the amplifiers. I know that B&K is much more expensive, but can the others even compare? Any advice would be helpful.....
fISHCALL
128x128fishcall
i have heard horror stories about rotel's service deptartment so i decided to stay away plus i would like to stay in usa.
Fishcall,

I have a similar room (no speakers yet) and I'm looking at Rotel receivers (haven't looked at NAD or B&K, and Marantz doesn't have 3 component inputs except for their top model). Have you considered Rotel, and if so, any particular reason why you excluded them? Just want to make sure I'm not overlooking something.

Thx,
Frank
That's a big room. You should really consider seperates. Most pre/pro's will sound better than similar priced receivers. This will allow you to use any amps you want and you can alway get any old amp/receiver for $25 at a garage sale to power the porch!
I own a B&K 307(upgraded to 507) and I used to own a Marantz SR19. I find the Marantz sound to be the sweetest to listen to, it's very engaging. I've heard NAD and I've no complaints as far as sound. That being said, the B&K is a company whose roots are in 2-channel music and the HT options are very difficult to overlook. Bass management alone puts it above the others. It has plenty of power and there is no weakness in the bottom end. With 2-channel music, it will not compete with much more expensive separates or tubes, but neither will the others. A very good source will help this. Given your choices, I'd pick the B&K.