Should I buy a Denon 2802 or Harmon Kardon 225?

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.

Abex. Just curious ... what speakers were you using with the HK, that produced such a dark sound? I was using the Denon with both EPOS 11 and later with Acoustic Research 302 Classic series and the sound (for music) was annoyingly lightweight and distant/not clear sounding. The HK, with the same speakers, was really clear, clean, and alive sounding with music. The HK though literally went up in smoke when 2 speaker leads touched each other (my fault, but I would not have expected the unit to fry). Thanks, Rich

I would look into the used market for something a little better for the same price. Maybe the Sony ES series. I have owned 2 HK's and I have to agree that,musicaly they suck. If you are going to be doing HT only, you would be better off with the ES series.