Which AV receiver to buy??

If I were shopping, I would include Denon. Both Denon and Onkyo plus Yamaha are probably the best supported by a dealer network. I find the Denons are probably the quietest of the receivers I have owned/heard. I presently have a Denon 2800 and think highly of it. It's replacement, the 2801, is even lower priced. Good luck in your selection

I love Denon, I have owned the 4800, but have since gone to seperates. the new 3801 has to be the best receiver on the market considering price and performance. I have heard Outlaw ant think their low performance equals their low price. Outlaw is ok for the thrifty non audiophile types, but anyone with a taste for performance should avoid them. As for onkyo integra, the integras are cool looking and perform well, but have nothing Denon Receiversas far as price and performance. Integra is a tad overpriced for what you get.

Have auditioned many in the $1000 to $1300 range and think the new Arcam avr 100 is far above anything in this price range, with the possible exception of the new Rotel RSX 972, but even then musically it sounds slighty better. Don't think you can go wrong with either. Listen to the Arcam next to the denon and you will be floored by the difference.

I have owned a Yamaha 2095,a NAD T770, and a Denon 3300. The NAD was by far my favorite. It has more power even though it is rated much lower. I dont like the Denon. Set-up is unnecesssarily complicted. You can only use the tuner from the remote which has lots of absurdly small buttons.

Warlock:

I guess I am one to talk now, since I seem to be in the same boat as you are. I am also shopping for an A/V Receiver. But I am shopping for a Harman/Kardon. Why?? I like the features/performance/price ratio that the current models in their line have. And also, I like the power that their amplifiers sections deliver (the "RMS" or "Continuous" power isn't rated that high..... but instead, they have a much lower power output, but they back it up high current capability...... and I think that high current is better than high voltage). What I am having a problem with now is that in some circles, it has been said that the reliability of their receivers are in question. And if that pans out, then I am going to take that into (A WHOLE LOT OF) consideration and consider a either a Denon AVR-2801, an Onkyo TX-DS676, or an NAD T751. But that's just me, though. I was also looking into getting an Outlaw (A/V Receiver.... not their amp........ their amp is rated higher than their receiver, so I heard) until I have read some reviews about it in "Audio Review". After doing that, I have backed off considerably.

But now, to speak in general terms, the major players in the A/V Receiver market seem to be Denon, Marantz, NAD, Onkyo and Yamaha. Any of these seems to give very good performance for the money spent. And just like "Jowillia" has said, they also seem to have a very wide dealer network. And that's going to be VERY important just in case something goes wrong and so forth.

Good luck. I hope your dilemma isn't no where as difficult as mine is going to be.

--Charles--