welcome art... that is about the most WIDE open question i have seen in a while
you have a multitude of options avail to you.. the main issue you will have is 'how much do you wanna spend'. you also may need to think about if you want a 'all-in-one' receiver unit, or if you wanna go with seperates for more power and versatility..? its up to you...
since i know you are gonna get tons of suggestions.. here is a quick way to figure it out.
1st- you have good speakers to start, so dont skimp on the receiver.. stay with the brands that are well known and reliable.. denon, H/K, onkyo, yamaha, marantz, pioneer elite series, and sony ES series. if you go separates, you can look at nad, rotel, and parasound.
2nd- determine how many inputs you are gonna have, and buy a receiver that can handle what you wanna do. there is no need in wasting money on a receiver with lots of options that you will never use.
3rd- determine how much wattage you are gonna need. that will be determined by the size of the room, and how LOUD you like to crank it. any receiver rated betwen 80-100wpc will be plenty loud for 95% of the people.
4th- try and audition different receivers at friends, stores, shops, etc. it is commonly argued that certain receivers are warmer or harder, and make speakers sound different..? i dont know if i believe that, but you might wanna find out for yourself.
5th- have fun. its addictive, so watch out.. make sure and have confidence in what you buy.. dont leave any room for the upgrade bug to bite you in a year.. get something good the first time, and go with it.
let us know how your search goes. i am interested in what you end up getting.
bigjohn
