One step up from entry-level?

Would all of the people who have replied to this post please accept my apology. I DID NOT intend for my remarks to be directed at ANYONE in particular. After reading this again, I can easily see how it looks aimed. My verbal (written?) diatribe was a result of spending MANY hours on forum sites such as this one, SMR, AudioAsylum, et al. and reading over and over people bashing ALL receivers as the lousy poor mans toy. Comments like ANY seperate is better than the best receiver. When you ask the specifically which models the are comparing, they respond that they have not auditioned any of the current top of the line receivers.
I guess my level of frustration was reached and I vented.
Again, I apologize for my rude venting. And to the poster with the porche, sorry if I offended you, I thought I was making the point that ALL porches are Not created equal.

Wish you all the best. Gerry Conway

Thanks for those who actually replied to the question. I
accept that one should judge by how it sounds, not by what
it says on the front, but one also needs to know where to
start -- got to narrow the field somehow!

By the way, my own knowledge is a step up, not a step down,
from here. I'm a Bryston kind of guy, myself. I mostly
want to know what I should be recommending to friends who
want a "good" system without spending much money, who have
never heard of anything not sold at Circuit City.

Mark: If I were advising someone with a tight budget, I'd tell them to go ahead and buy their electronics from Circuit City (sticking to the established brands--Sony, Pioneer, etc.). But splurge a bit on speakers: B&W, PSB, Paradigm and other brands make a number of models that even a Technics receiver can drive quite well. Not the ultimate, but we're not talking about the ultimate here. And people who haven't shopped the low end in a while would be surprised by just how capable cheap Japanese boxes can be. (Note, I said "CAN be.") We're not talking Bryston here, but the gap--while real--is smaller than you might imagine.

Jostler3, how could you give such poor advice. Ciruit City? The knowledge from a true audio store is worth the extra money if indeed you do end up spending more. There are a great number of products at entry level pricing that are well made using the technology of there higher end lines. I'm not aware of what Pioneers higher line is, or what research they provide to the advancement of audio. I strongly recommend finding a knowledgeable audio shop and listen to some different product. When I started I went to every store and listened to what I could afford. After a short time I knew what brands I liked and used that information to ask others opinions. For me it, like Jostler3 was the speakers and I had an amp I liked. Both were well beyond my price, but it gave people an idea of my tastes. I ended up e-mailing all the dealers in the country that caried those two componants and asked there opinions on what they would recommend with-in my budget. It wasn't long before I found some common recommendations and a dealer I trusted. That same dealer has helped me with the two later upgrades too. Good-luck Mark, J.D.

Jadem6: Oops, let me rephrase that. I did not mean to endorse Circuit City as a retail establishment, and I thoroughly agree about the potential (not always realized) for specialty shops to provide better advice and service. The thread was about brands, not stores, and what I meant to say was that for budding audiophiles on a very tight budget, the more established electronics brands carried by big boxes, combined with a better-quality speaker that doesn not impose too severe a load, would be a reasonable way to go.