What, we can't abuse you here?? you just took all the fun out of it (kidding).
Sounds to me like you got stuck with a lemon, unless it failed after 2 years or so- It happens, especially with low-to-mid-end electronics. Overall Onkyo is a very good brand and as you said, a heck of a bang for the buck in the sound quality department. Keep in mind, these larger companies all have their good models and their 'disposable' models. I think you'll be hard pressed to find complaints on their upper end Onkyo line or their flagship Integra line. I have owned 3 Thetas, 2 Anthems, 2 Arcams, 2 Pioneers (1 Elite), 1 Sherwood (first pre-pro ever), 1 Onkyo, 1 Meridian, and as of now, my 3rd Integra. Overall, the Integra never disappoints and usually they are on backorder. The Theta, which by the way cost $13k fully loaded and is hand built, gave me fits to no end quite regularly- Plus I couldn't even get it upgraded to HDMI since they kept dropping the ball on getting the add-in board produced. However it was quite an emotional experience when it was working, amazing sound like no other. I've stuck with the Integra as it sounds almost as good as the Theta, it is rock solid, and at such a ridiculous low price hard to pass up and not be very happy with it. I've had issues with all of the above brands at one time or another, and read about similar issues with the above brands at one time or another. I have had zero issues with any of the Integra processors beginning with the 9.8, 80.1 and latest 80.2. Great care is put into the manufacture of their high end line.
In the bedroom, I have an Onkyo 508 receiver which cost me $250 from Amazon. I have read numerous stories about the 50x and the 60x line having issues. But, this line of receivers are really considered 'inexpensive' entry-level products and if I get a year or two out of it then that's all I expect. They are not built for the long haul and you should not expect them to be.
My humble opinion, invest your next purchase in a top of the line Onkyo or preferably the Integra 80.2. You can pick one of them up for about $1800 pre-owned and $2300 new. Is it a lot of money? Well, not for what you get considering they sound as good or better, and have more features than, pre/pro's costing 3x as much. Plus, you won't be buying a new receiver every two years unless you want to. And if you call Integra for help you'll get to talk to a USA sr. tech.
Point being, no matter what brand, you'll get exactly what you pay for when it comes to receivers, amps, DVD/BD players and speakers and your expectations should be set accordingly. Of course, getting a turkey right out of the box or a few weeks after is a different story, and the return policy or mfr warranty should take care of that. Again, I'll stress that spending more on a higher line of product will pay for itself in the long run by avoiding much of these typical consumer-level issues. I've found this to ring true with every manufacturer that makes both high-end lines and consumer lines of products.
Hope this helps and my post is not meant to be harsh in any way- Just sharing my 10+ years of experiences with buying AV gear.
