Interesting you should mention Yamaha in your list of decent avr's as they tend to get a rough ride on this forum.
I recently read a review of the RX-V659 on Audioholics where it received a glowing review. If Audioholics is to be believed, this receiver has lots of oompf and can put out more than the rated 100wpc nice and clean. The kicker is that it is listed at $399 msrp, which is a lot less than anything else I have seen in this performance category.
At this price, should I look at anything else??
As for budget, why buy a Ferrari when a Subaru wrx will give you all the ieeeeee!!! at 1/3 the price.
Fred
