AV Receiver Help me narrow it down

Butrfly, one other thing that would come into play is the size of your theater room. But being that you have bookshelves that are 8 ohms, you should be in good shape unless they are unusually low efficiency, like 85db.

Wanting pre outs(you'd need 7.1) for an amp down the road limits your choices to more expensive options as various brands do not include them except in their higher end models. And since you want to place it in a closet, models that might run hotter should be avoided. Onkyos used to run hot and might still plus they have a spotty record for reliability, so that leaves Yamaha, Denon, Marantz, Pioneer, etc.

I know Onkyos best as I've had 2 and still own a TOTL 5 yr old. Wanting to get the latest features, I'm looking to upgrade too, and I'm looking at Denon. They seem to have more refinement in the implementation of functions, from what I've read, and have better customer service and reliability. I don't know the other brands too well, except Marantz is priced significantly higher for the same feature level.

If you don't need the latest greatest you could opt for a discontinued Denon and save a few hundred. The Denon AVR-3313CI is a pretty good option, loaded with technology and good performance all around. You should be able to get it for 850 online. I want the TOTL Audyssey room correction and Low Frequency Containment, so I'm waiting to get another Denon, the AVR-X4000, which has both but it's much more money.

Good luck with your hunt.

with the pre-outs, what I don't understand is why there isn't a middle ground for seperates. Something like the UMC-200 looks enticing but doesn't have nearly as many wiz bangs as the X4000. Given that the amp itself is a large expenditure why is it only in the high end units have the preouts.

Basically you are paying for the an internal amp that you don't use for a plus 1k receiver with all of features wanted.

I am considering the x4000, UMC-200, Marantz 6008. I have had a low end Onkyo before that I liked and it did run warm (not sure what "hot" qualifies as but it did heat up abit).

Looks like I just need to make a decision, setup and try if I like it.

Also what I find interesting is that no one is really saying that I need to spend more money than I have set for the price range.

If there was a compelling reason to spend more, I would rather do it now for a particular feature than find out I did not spend enough and then rebuy something.

Yeah, it seems odd that you have to spend more to get a unit with pre outs when you won't use the amp section anyway!

I think what has the biggest possible benefit on an avr is the room correction, and since you can now get the best Audyssey there is with your budget, there's no need to spend more, given your priorities. Plus with the Denon( or say, Onkyo 929) you have the latest video options like 3D and 4K should you upgrade your TV.

If you are ready to buy now, I've been advised that Denon dealers are willing to go below retail. I'm waiting for black friday as it suits my budget better.

Which speakers do you use? The limitation of Marantz are there transformers. They are quite small compared to Onkyo. So you miss the speed and control Onkyo can give. The difference between Onkyo and Denon is that the focus of instruments and voices is sharper with the Onkyo. Onkyo has made big steps in the last few years. It depends about the speakers you use but Onkyo is the only brand in this pricetag which can give depth. Other ones is what we call 2-dimensional amps. I sold all these brands for many years and I have done hundreds of tests with them. Audyssey xt32 is the way to go. This sets new levels in surround.