I know that this should probably be posted in another forum, but I couldn't figure out which one. So here I am, in the forum in which I feel at home and know that I'll get good, reliable advice. Mods, feel free to move me to the right spot.

Hubby and I are doing some upgrades to our system. We will, hopefully, have a brand new 42" LCD TV by the end of the week. I'm not replacing our speakers yet, but we do need a new reciever. The one that we have now is an old refurb that we got from Hubby's work, really cheap.

I can't tell you much about our speakers offhand, other than the front and centre are StudioLabs. The rears are JVCs, but are surprisingly decent and get the job done. The sub sucks (another cheap refurb) and will be replaced. We have a VCR and a (Sony) DVD player hooked up. The DVD player doubles as our CD player and this may also get replaced in the next year, but the receiver is my top priority.

We use our system mostly for listening to music or watching music DVDs. We watch actual movies on it about once a month. So it's more of a music system than a home theatre.

Currently, we live in a townhouse with thin walls. So we can't crank our system too loudly. We need a receiver that will be responsive at low volumes. However, we are planning on moving in the next couple of years. So, I also need something that will have the ability to grow with me as I'm sure that once we have more space and no-one attached to us, we'll be upgrading the TV and the speakers.

I would also like to be able to hook my iPod up to the reciever if possible.

I want good quality sound but I'm not a gearhead or audiophile by any stretch of the imagination. I've never had to shop for a receiver before and I don't even know where to start. What should I be looking for? Are there certain features that I need to make sure that I have? Are there features to avoid? How much do I need to spend? Assume that money is not an issue.

Thanks for any advice you can give.