I think in that price range, I'd recommend either the Yamaha RX-A1070, the Onkyo TX-RZ820, or the Marantz SR6011. These are all just slightly north of your 1k budget, but not by much, and give you a lot of performance for the dollar.
which receiver new $1k or under
Skimming through the forums here, seems like Yamaha and Marantz are lines to look at? This is for a friend with a 7.1 system with Infinity speakers. Any reason to choose one of those two brands over the other? Are these the two to suggest or are there others that offer sonic or usability advantages? Thanks everyone. -Dave