Receivers are generally all about the same at each price point. There's not a whole lot of difference quality or feature wise. People will tell you different, but that's just because people tend to become brand loyal. The "sound" of a $750 Pioneer won't be significantly different, better or worse than that of a $750 Yamaha or Denon or Onkyo or Harmon Kardan or...well, I think you get the picture.
Speakers are by far the most important component in any audio system as far as sound quality goes.
So, pick a price point and buy the one within that price point that has the most features you like/need and don't worry about name brand.
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