Cart before the horse or horse before the cart?

For the speakers, I've pretty much narrowed down my search to Paradigm Studio 20's or 40's, whichever I can find for the best deal on used, PSB GB1, and Totem Rainmaker.

Any recommendations for a receiver? I guess I've been leaning towards the Onkyo line (608, 707, 806) because of all the features and I can get at a very good price from a certain online dealer..(don't know if we can name dealers on this site).

Mceljo recommended the Pioneer VSX 1120 K and that seems like a nice choice...any others I should look into?
I know I should audition all of this, but the closest dealer to me is 2 hours away and they only have the paradigm.

If you're not wanting the option of pre-outs to step in the future to a 2 channel amplifier then you can drop several levels down in that same line and get a VSX 820 that should have plenty of features for less money. A friend of mine recently purchased this model for his 2nd system. He uses a Pioneer Elite model in his home theater room and used the 820 to run the rest of the speakers in his house.

Onkyo and Denon are also great options, I prefer Onkyo over Denon simply because they are a bit more user friendly with individual buttons on the front rather than a spin selector knob.

In my opinion, the two most limiting features in a receiver in the long run is not having pre-outs or 4 ohm capability. Both of these features add to the cost so you need to figure out how much it matters to you.

I also don't think that in the price range you're looking at that matching speaker and receivers is as critical as it obviously is in the higher end gear. I don't think the difference between a Marantz, Denon, Onkyo or Pioneer will make a significant difference with any speakers you'll be considering.

Onkyo TX-NR808 would be a great option from the online retailer that you speak of. A co-worker of mine just purchased one and seems very happy with it.

It is rated for 4 ohms and has pre-outs. The current price is right in your range.

Thanks for your responce Mceljo. I agree that the speakers and receivers I speak of within my budget probably don't apply as much as you say with the high end equipment, but being new to all of this, I really needed some confirmation in what I thought to be true.

Thanks again, I think I'll take your advice and find the right Onkyo for my needs. The TX-NR808 has the 3-D ready feature which I'm not interested in, but I do like the option of pre-outs and rated for 4 ohms. Does the TX-NR808 have a little brother which is not 3-D ready?

As far as I know, the 3D feature is just the latest HDMI connection. I don't think there are any specific features built into the receiver itself.

The TX-NR708 has all the same features with less rated power per channel but still maintains pre-outs and 4 ohm performance I believe.

Unless the price difference is significant for you, I'd get the 808.