Receiver recommendations?



Hello there! I am starting to build my home theater
setup, one piece at a time. I started with some decent
speakers, and now I am looking for a receiver with
pre-amp outputs to make room for an amp. Preferably
around $300 (used is OK).

Can someone recommend one to watch for? I had been eyeing
the Kenwood VR-510 and a couple of Maranz models. I don't
have any particular brand loyalty, I just don't want to
shell out big $$ for just a pre-amp at this time.
pyite
I don't care for Onkyo myself but there are some very nice Sony ES receivers that can be had used for a song. Even new, the bottom-of-the-line ES is like $400. Good luck -Arthur
Pyite -

Does your screen name stand for the Phish tune: Punch You In The Eye? Setlists abreviate it that way...
I've had nothing but grief from receivers. Too much stuffed into one box. Try the Marantz 550 pre-amp for about $250 or a similar Rotel. You can pick up a 5 channel amp for about the same (rotel 30 x 6?).

Otherwise, try www.tsto.com and get a marantz or denon receiver new for around your price. There is no comparison in quality between a $300 denon and a $500 kenwood. The Kenwood is just filled with more crap.
slipknot1,

Yes very good of you to catch that! Do you listen to
them a lot? My favorite CD is probably the 6-14-2000
show they released not too long ago.
Sogood51,
Does Onkyo generally have pre-amp outputs? I am wary of
buying on ebay without a specific model number because I
don't want to end up in the same situation I'm in
currently! I have a Pioneer VSX-D509S (which I like
quite a bit except for the lack of a real phono input) but
it's a dead end amp-wise.