Yamaha fan here...I'm a frequent reader...post occasionally. If you are looking at a new receiver anyways, then don't count out another Yamaha. I have an RX-V2200 and think that it is great...although I still don't have it paired with some great sounding Axioms...hopefully in the near future. At your price range, there are quite a few to choose from...a lot comes down to features that you want, and maybe a bias to one brand or another.

Joe