I am a HUGE audiophile... and let me first tell you, who cares what it looks like, it makes sound, its not a peice of artwork.

If you give me a few hours I will come up with somthing. Whats your budget?

Are you not married?? LMAO

I want the best deal for the least amount. Probably around 500 - 600. Crutchfield has the 1911 on sale for 400. It sounds good, but I just killed a Denon so I'm not sure I want another one.

Not to mention the new stuff usually comes out in April - May so buying now might just be bad timing.

I'd say he is...

I am married, but I dont compair my wife to AV equipment. The equipment I have hidden away dosent matter what it looks like, as long as it works perfectly and sounds amazing. Show off the speakers dude!!! The speakers are what meer mortals will understand anyways.
I want these babies!!! THX Ultra 2

Humm 400 - 600 this is gona give me a challange. I tend not to even look at receivers under 1000. They just dont have the features I am looking for at the prices you are thinking of. Make a good solid list of the features you want so I can compair everything.

You are right, April is normaly when they release the new models. However you will still get a good deal on the current equipment. Plus it dosent sound like you are all too intrested in the "new" fetures the newer models will be offering anyways. The top of the line stuff is where all the "new" things will be. Mostly the mid level equipment doesn't change much.

I would LOVE to spend about 5K on a receiver, but then I wouldn't have a house to install it in. :laugh:

I don't have a dedicated media room. I'm only running a 5.1 now because I don't have anywhere to put the other 2 speakers to run 7.1. The way my living room is set up, it's about 20' X 25' or so. Vaulted ceiling with the floor sunken about 7". The TV is on the 25' wall. As you look at the TV , the room is open to the front door/ entry area on the left, has a fireplace and windows on the right. Behind me is a sliding glass door to the back yard and the room opens to the dining room. I'll take a few shots tonight so you can see the setup.

That being said, I don't need much to enjoy a good movie or the sound of bullets and explosions when I'm playing COD. :laugh: Hell, I only paid 350 for my speakers! They are Pinacles that retailed for 1500, but Dell had a sale so I snagged them. They sound decent. Way better than the Sony crap I was running.

Oh yeah......specs. Let's see:
The normal upconversions of course. Standy pass throug and auto return chanel. Typical audio decoding to include Dolby prologic, DTS, etc. Ipod connectivity is a huge plus. I don't have a 3D tv and probably won't ever get one so that's not a big issue. I'd say at least 90W per channel at 8 ohms? Or is 6 better? I can never remember that . lol

Now that I think about it I'm not sure my TV supports audio channel return.......hmmm......

Looks like you want a Denon AVR-1911. I've had one for nearly a year now, got the 2009 model on sale when the 2010 models were coming out. I've got it running a pair of Klipsch speakers that normally retailed for $300 each at $100 for the pair as it was a model being discontinued and it sounds amazing in comparison to the systems my friends have been putting together. Granted they tend to stick their systems together from garage sales...

I should update this. I checked and I have the Denon AVR-1910. The 1911 replaced it.

...2, 4, 8, 16... is the scale for ohms when dealing with speakers.
the higher the ohms the less the wattage the amp will produce, this dose not mean that is going to be any quieter. 100 watts in the right speakers at 8ohms can cause hearing damage. But the rating on your receiver will depend on your speakers. The speaker is what dertmines the ohm rating. If your receiver says, 200watts per channel at 4 ohms, then if your speakers are 8 ohm speakers you will be getting 100 watts per channel out of the receiver at 8ohms.

Please let me stress wattage is not everything. In highschool I had 800watts RMS thats (3) 2 channel amps at 8ohms. front doors, rear, and subs. My car system was louder then others pushing 1600 watts RMS at 2 ohms. Why? because if I ran my car at 2 ohms, one it would of sounded like loud butt, and two it would of had the equlivant of 3200 watts.

8ohms is a very good balance of resistance and effeciency

To build on what Alex posted. Here is a lovely reference that takes some pretty complex concepts and put them into easier to read terminology.

http://www.rocketroberts.com/techart/spkr.htm

Ok Dan, if I were you I would give serious consideration to the Onkyo TX-NR708. It is on sale right now at Crutchfield.com for $650. I havnt looked around though to see if another site would have a better price.

It has EVERYTHING you could ever want.
Power and Processing:
•110 watts x 7 into 8 ohms (20-20,000 Hz) at 0.08% THD
•THX® Select2 Plus™ certification for a guaranteed, theater-quality listening experience
•Dolby® TrueHD, DTS-HD™ Master Audio, Dolby® Digital Plus, DTS-HD™ High Resolution Audio, Pro Logic® IIz
•analog-to-HDMI video upconversion (up to 1080p) with Faroudja DCDi Cinema™ video processing
•Audyssey MultEQ six-point auto speaker calibration (microphone included)
•Audyssey DSX processing for enhanced surround sound height or width effects using additional front speakers
•Audyssey Dynamic Volume mode to maintain steady listening levels
•Audyssey Dynamic EQ™ for fuller surround sound at lower volumes
Digital Music Options:
•streams music from your PC and the Internet (broadband connection required)
•iPod®/iPhone® integration (video playback requires optional Onkyo UP-A1 dock)
•SIRIUS satellite radio capable (requires SIRIUS subscription and optional SiriusConnect™ home tuner kit)
•HD Radio ready (requires optional Onkyo UP-HT1 tuner)
•DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) certified to ensure optimal compatibility with other network-enabled equipment
Multi-room Audio:
•dual-room/dual-source output
◦powered and line-level stereo audio output for 2nd room (using powered 2nd-room output allows 5.1 home theater in main room)
◦only analog sources can be played in the 2nd room
Audio Performance Features:
•high-current amplifier design with massive power transformer
•192kHz/24-bit Burr-Brown digital-to-analog converters for all channels
•direct mode switches off unnecessary circuitry to provide cleaner sound
•back surround speaker channels re-assignable for bi-amping compatible front left and right speakers
•Music Optimizer function enhances the sound quality of compressed music files
Connections:
•1080p-compatible HDMI switching: 7 in, 1 out (including 1 front-panel input)
•HDMI version 1.4 with support for 3D video, Audio Return Channel, Deep Color, x.v.Color, auto lip-sync, and HDMI-CEC
•Audio Return Channel function receives digital audio signals from a compatible HDTV's tuner via HDMI
•component video switching (2 in, 1 out)
•analog RGB video input (D-sub, 15 pin) for connecting a PC
•digital audio inputs: 2 optical and 3 coaxial
•5 audio/video inputs, including:
◦1 front-panel input with composite video
◦4 rear-panel inputs with composite video
•1 audio-only input
•phono input
•Ethernet port for music streaming from a PC network
•2 audio outputs for powered subwoofers
•1 front-panel minijack audio input for connecting a portable player
•1 pair of main speaker outputs
General features:
•overlaid graphic on-screen display via HDMI for easier setup and operation
•40 AM/FM/SIRIUS presets
•multibrand remote
•17-1/8"W x 6-7/8"H x 15-1/8"
•weight: 28 lbs.
•warranty: 2 years

It is really the best for the money. I know its 50 more then you would like to spend, so the Denon AVR-1911 would be the next best thing. Onkyo has top notch equipment and are built solid and stable. Always read product reviews!

Best of luck to you. Let me know what receiver you end up buying. :beer: