A/V reciever advice


Hello,
I just finished building an office in the basement and looking for an AV receiver. What this will be connected to is my PC, and Satellite receiver, TV and a 5.1 system of speakers. The Speakers are nothing special, 4 in Ceiling speakers and 2 In wall Speakers a sub and a Center channel. The ceiling speakers have two different configurations, depending on if i am watching TV or using the PC (Mainly Gaming and iTunes). I do not want to spend a a lot on the receiver at most 500 since this is not my main system.

The probelem is there are so many brands out there and some of the brands I am familiare with the quality was gone down.
For my main system I have Denon A/V reciever, Anthem Amp, and Paradigm Speakers. But I have heard the Denon's quality has gone down. If not Then I will stick with Denon.

The brands I am familiar with are Yamaha, Onkyo, Denon, NAD, Sony.

So looking for advice on these brands and other that might fit the criteria.

Thanks.
iahawk
I haven't bought a new reeiver for a few years, but have been happy with Pioneer Elite in the past.
If your speakers are "nothing special" then it may not matter to much.
Dietdoc1, I have B&W 804 w/htm1 up front & 803 as my rears.I do have an Elite 74txvi, I have mixed feelings with the unit.I did a power cord upgrade & that made a big improvement.I just treated the fuses w/quicksilver gold & waiting a few days for that to settle in. I've had fantastic results from this product. The "74txvi" cant handle the new HDMI upgrade & other formats that are in our future.Reasons for the EMO upgrade.
I'm not convinced that Denon's quality has gone down, they mostly are made in China these days, but any bugs would be worked out by now. I've got their flagship 4520(made in Japan) and it produces really outstanding sound. I'd go with what you know. Other than that, Anthem's receivers are said to be pretty good too.
My rule of thumb with ANY used receiver, is to pay as little as possible, tyipically under $250, if I can help it. One, they're just "receivers". Two, you're buying used questionable history electronics, often out of warranty, and you don't want to be sitting on a $1000 paperweight when it explodes! Also, i'll keep eye out for a replacement after a year or so, and get my money back, and into the next piece.
It's all for sale eventually, and DEFINITELY degrading and depreciating as time goes one anyway.
Buyer beware, on any level..I always say