Is there any such thing as a high end receiver?

I don't know if an older receiver is going to be vetoed because of it's age, look, or lack of remote, but I'd recommend a nice Luxman, Yamaha, Pioneer, Onkyo, Marantz, etc. from the late 70s or very early 80s (before all of those companies started downhill). They all sound much smoother than any newer unit...especially Luxman...they're very smooth sounding. They'd also probably cost much less than $750.

I vote heavily in favor of the old Marantz. I sold an early 70's version of a 2275 to my brother about 20 yrs ago and it still sounds great and seems to have tons more power than the rated 75 watts. Good tuner section to boot

Beautiful receiver, Nice, warm sound, excellent tuner.

Get a nice MAC 4100 or 4200 or 4275.Very good receivers and solid sound.

Two companies that used to produce really decent sounding receivers were NAD and Rotel. The NAD receiver were entire entry level separates placed in a single box. The problem with most receivers is that each of the separate sections share a common power supply. That often limits dynamics and clarity compared to separate components that have their own power supply. Another issue that most receiver tuner sections are an afterthought and are not very good. If your friend is going to listen to quite a bit of FM my suggestion would be to go with an integrated amplifier and a separate tuner. As others have mentioned, the Creek is a great sounding integrated in your price range. They also make a very good tuner.