HT amp for my father - advice please

Used Marantz MA-500's?

The speakers are only rated at 86 dB so I would anticipate power being a bit more important than with a lot of speakers.

It sounds like you need a receiver that has two or three powered zones and I would recommend getting one that has pre-outs for each channel allowing a dedicated 2 channel amplifier to be added in the future. I have an Integra and have had Onkyo in the past. I think they are very user friendly units.

Something like the Onkyo TX-NR708 would be a great starting point, but is a bit above the stated budget. It has two powered zones and 7.2 channel pre-outs. The 608 is less expensive, but you give up the pre-outs and I would anticipate that the amplifier isn't nearly as good.

There are a lot of good options, but here's a place to start looking. The 707 is the previous version of the 708 and is available on Amazon for much closer to your budget.

i have a yamaha rx-v1 that i'm selling. it's an integrated amp/preprocessor, 7.1 setup (2 enhanced front speakers), 2 zones, was there top of the line a few years ago. i actually used it with a pair of totem mani 2's which are 85db.

I have exactly the same speakers and use a B&K 507. It's 150W x 7, but honestly, I don't seem to ever have to turn them up very much.

Outlaw audio, or ATI........both great for the money.

Dave