all right y'all, I need help choosing between five mid-level receivers. I've found ways to get all five of them between $350-$450 (US$), which is about as high as I can go. I'm not an audiofile, just a serious music lover, so I need some advice from the pro's on how to get as much bang for my buck as possible. The receivers are: HK AVR240 & AVR335 (240 only in the running due to IPOD link, which is a minor consideration). Onkyo TX SR603 (IPOD link and XM together, somewhat attractive). Denon AVR786S. I split my time down the middle between movies and music, but my primary concern is the quality of my music, which is all over the place in terms of genre. My system is in a fairly large family room. All units have very similar features, with the exceptions of IPOD links and XM, but my primary concern is, which receiver is going to provide the clearest, warmest, sound with the most articulate attention to detail top to bottom. I've been leaning toward HK for this, however their power rating makes me nervous. I've heard discussions about wide bandwidth and why the power rating doesn't matter as much, but I haven't really heard a reassuring comparison of these units, which rate 50 and 55 watts RMS. I don't use a sub with my system. I have two JBL S310's (10" woofers), two rear JBL somethin or others and a Bose center. Adding a sub isn't out of the question, but for now, that's what I have to work with. I'm replacing a 100 watt RMS Sony STR-DE845. Having a tough time getting all of the receivers in the same "realistic" environment to put 'em head to head, so I need your help. Whatd'ya think?
