Onyko TX-NR809

What it sounds like is the most important.

Does it power your speakers adequately? Have the right features for your listening and AV habits. Do you plan on making any changes in the near future? Use the 30 days to ponder these things and let it run 24/7 for those 4 weeks with a signal going through it. If it is going to fail it will most likely be sooner rather than later, plus you get one yr warranty.

I cannot speak for its value. I am partial to Pioneer Elite or Sony ES when it comes to Receivers and AVR's.

Only you know if it sounds good to you. In terms of reliability, I have had the 805 for several years and I never have had one time where it did not perform perfectly. No resets, no dropouts, no overheating. I use it only as a surround processor and don't use the amps. I will only part with it when new technology for surround sound advances beyond what we have now. The Audyssey processing is quite good.

I like the Onkyo electronics quite a lot. If you can get a similarly attractive deal on it, you might want to step up two notches in the Onkyo line to the 3009. You'll pick up Audyssey XT32 pro which IMHO is pretty damn fantastic. I believe that it's really beneficial, especially if your system includes subwoofers.. If you do not want to pony up the extra $, the 809 is IMHO a very good value at its price point.

Marty

"Has all the power my B&K has"

The Onkyo TX-SR805 of a few years ago did but this model falls short on power. What it lost in true power it gained in modern features, which is pretty common this day and time.

With that said, $449.00 for a good performing upper mid level receiver is a great price. It won't have the "warmth" of the B&K but with Audyssey onboard room correction, you can achieve a very satisfying sound quality for HT and music.

Bill