My Denon 1804 had a very even warm sound to it right out of the box. I haven't had to adjust anything on it to make it sound this way. I think the 2803 is in your price range. But I would agree that the room surroundings can make or break the sound from the speakers. The quality that is built into the new receivers these days makes buying one a very hard choice. I have friends with HK's and I can't really tell a difference. good luck


Jason
M80 v2
VP160 v3
QS8 v2
PB13 Ultra
Denon 3808
Samsung 85" Q70