Prisoner, I've been interested in two receivers that are around your price range. I have no personal experience with them, but both seem to be reviewed pretty well.

Onkyo TX-SR605 90wpc, Which can be had for about $400 - $500

Onkyo TX-SR705 100wpc, Which runs about $650 right now and has a few more bells and whistles.

They might be worth checking out.

M60's
VP150
QS8's
HSU STF-2
Onkyo TX-SR805
Audiobytes for the PC