[QUOTE=poneal
...never depend on someone elses recommendation if you can go out and listen and make your own decision. Hope this helps.[/QUOTE]

This is well-intentioned advice and would be good advice if we were talking about loudspeakers, but they are the ONLY component to which the advice applies. When talking about A/V receivers, the differences in sound quality from one to another are far too small to be a valid criteria for making a choice. Just about ANY receiver in the marketplace today should fill most anyone's needs regarding performance ... it's the other criteria that assume greatest importance. Such things as "user-friendliness", "customer support", and THE most important one (to me) ... RELIABILITY.

To go out and choose a receiver based upon "how it sounds" is a foolhardy move at best. I've worked on this gear - on the insides of it for more than half a century, which is why I wouldn't consider buying for myself any receiver other than Yamaha - the reliability kings of the industry. Today, the best value in an A/V receiver is the Yamaha model RX-V1400. It carries an MSRP of $799, but can probably be found for less if you shop around.

Hope this helps you