Receiver with Audyssey

Onkyo/Denon are good brands to start with. What is your budget for this expense?

Going with lower end as I don't need a bunch of power. Mainly would like to try the audyssey setup, would prefer the better software. Have owned Meridian separates in the past in another setup and am not expecting that level. Probably looking around $500 used.

HIGHLY recommend the new Onkyo TS SR705. Truly as good as the reviews. Made my home theater better than the Outlaw/ Sony ES separates I was using.

I've also had Meridian separates. The Denon AVR1708 should fit your needs. I use one of these as well . It has two HDMI inputs and one HDMI monitor output. The Audyssey software works very well! I was surprised at how good this unit sounds. It has more features than I would ever use, being the little brother of Denon's current AVRs.

More recommendations here for Denon. Probably get the AVR688 for that on the net. Plenty of power and features, yes. Sound will mate with most any speakers. My experience is Onkyo's are a little Thin sounding at lower price points (everyone's been buying into the Onkyo's reviews). Just went to hear yet another Onkyo set up at a local store - and, yep, sounded thin and bright in no matter what speakers I selected. Same impression I got from hearing an Onkyo down at HSU Research's setup, if bland sounding.
The Denon's never fail to sound full bodied, and weighty, with plenty of detail.
Good luck

My experience with the Onkyo 805 has been outstanding. More than enough I/O, crystal clear sound, no stability issues, automatic equalizer built in, deep bass with no glare. Hard to beat for under $1K.

I've owned various Sony ES, Pioneer, Denon, B&K and Onkyo HT receivers over the last several years. I currently own the Onkyo TX-SR703 (2 versions back predecessor to the current TX-SR705) and think it is fantastic. My father-in-law just bought the 705 based on my experience and he loves it too.

I would highly recommend checking out the audio forum over at AVSforum.com for information regarding HT receivers. There's a lot of great new mid-priced receivers on the market.

Enjoy,

TIC

Another vote for Onkyo. I am very happy with the 805. The Denons are nice too, but i believe you can find better deals on Onkyo.