This Onkyo TX-SR507 5.1-channel receiver is $249.99 from Accessories4Less, a reputable store.

Here's another choice. I bought this Pioneer VSX-819H-K 5.1 receiver for my Son and he's satisfied with it. It's $305.99 from Best Buy.

The new '20 series receivers from Pioneer will be hitting soon. While I bagged the '19s the new models look to be back in the game. May want to wait around for them to start showing up at your favorite store.

Youre welcome but don't take the quote I posted too seriously. That was more of a question than a helpful tidbit.

I shared it because it didn't make a lot of sense to me. Of course, I realize it said "equivalent of effecting the bit rate....", and didn't say it's really directly changing the bit rate as that would be a mess, so I'm curious to understand how that works, if it's true.

I also apologize for a possible derail but so far no one is biting so you are probably safe.

I do now agree you most likely need a new receiver. Unless you have a knowledgeable buddy with access to schematics and time to spare, I'm sure you would cost as much to repair as it would to buy a decent new one.

That article misses the most common type of volume control in use these days. It isn't digital, but a digitally controlled, stepped resistance, integrated circuit. Basically the line-level signal is fed through an IC. Another set of pins on the chip select how much attenuation is applied, and a lower amplitude analog signal is passed to the output pins. Not as "pure" as a true potentiometer, but no crackles, and no loss of dynamic range.

That said, it's possible to design a very high quality digital volume control which behaves more like an analog control rather just bit shifting. Windows Vista/7 actually has one implemented as its main level control.