I have had a 7.1 AVR for a while now. Typical midrange unit. Never got around to expanding beyond 2.1. Probably won't for another 2-3 years. HDMI connectors on the unit are now problematic and frustrating - must be damaged by wiggling. I now suffer regular drop-outs. The wife is mad as she can't get it to work when needed (to distract the child).
In a nutshell, I probably need to replace this and I sure don't want another Gazillion.1 with Dolby atmospheric/celestial decoding. I don't want to see more connectors on the back than cables I have in my entire household. Simplicity has become precious in a way that it never was before. Maybe it's the kid, maybe my left brain is decaying - I don't know.
This article captures the gist of what I feel quite well:
http://www.cnet.com/news/how-to-save-the-av-receiver/
(minus the wireless bit, and pretty is not so important)
So, please nominate contenders. I haven't been looking up components in years and don't want to scour the internet without a shortlist. I'm hoping there are choices out there.
What is needed:
2.1 support
Good amplification (no need to go bonkers)
HDMI support with ample inputs and outputs - I will connect a DVD source, a media streamer, potentially a computer to inputs; output to TV; extra HDMI ports could be useful
1 optical in (for computer audio); potentially support PCM connections
I do like an FM tuner but not mandatory
Modern features relating to streaming etc are interesting and could be considered, but these do tend to make the unit expensive.
What's not needed:
Multichannel support
Array of audio processing options
Preset listening modes
Antiquated connector formats
Unnecessary bulk