help decide what av receiver under $1k to choose

@allinone1989 to get any advice you need specific feature you want like if you want 4k, latest HDMI and what decoding feature do you need, how many speakers need to be powered and what power amplifier output you are looking for, phono stage, latest apps integration, wifi , bluetooth etc etc etc.

@geek101 it’s so complex. Do you have any basic guides? I promise to read that and will back smarter and ready to answer all questions.

Well, a first step is to identify how many channels you need.  That could be 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, etc. and if you want to include ATMOS.  Is your budget just for audio or does it also need to cover a display?

@allinone1989 Zero in on your speakers first and then you can look at what they need. If you want to spend less money then make sure to get efficient speakers i.e speakers that are 8 Ohm minimum and are 96 dB or more efficient. 

Denon X3400 (7ch), which can also be had for cheaper as a factory refurb sold by Accessories4Less. There is also the Marantz 6012 (9ch, expandable to 11ch with external 2ch power amp). Unless you need 13ch, no need to spend more than these, they are already good quality (super linear FR, unclipped 4Vrms pre-outs, >90dB SNR, ~2dB of dynamic power over rated RMS wattage, etc.).