Should I buy a Denon 2802 or Harmon Kardon 225?

The denon will sound better. The HK will have more features. Try either Harmanaudio.com or www.tsto.com for good pricing. HK sells factory refurbished direct with full warranties. Marantz may be a comprimise. Personally, I would look for an Outlaw receiver used.

I would actually respond the opposite of Elevick's answer. I replaced a Denon 2801 (5.1 receiver; 5X100 wpc) with a Harman Kardon 3370 (2 channel receiver; 2X70 wpc). The Denon had better build quality. The HK was more musical and sounded cleaner and more powerful. The weak point of the HK's build is the protection circuitry ... very unforgiving of 2 stripped speaker leads touching each other. I would search out Onkyo or SONY ES as well.
Regards, Rich

The denon will sound better. The HK will have more features. Try either Harmanaudio.com or www.tsto.com for good pricing. HK sells factory refurbished direct with full warranties. Marantz may be a comprimise. Personally, I would look for an Outlaw receiver used.

I would buy neither,but if I had to choose I would get the Denon.HK Sucks!They sound so dark it makes me want to heave!

I would think you would be able to get a good closeout price on the Denon, as the 2803 is being introduced at a retail price of $799.00. This unit seems to fit your requirements: It's 80wpc x 7, (7.1) with all the decoding formats. The features are listed in April's Widescreen Review (p. 19-20), or I assume you can find it on Denon's website. Good luck with whatever you choose.