I don't think many people here believe in "bright" vs. "smooth" receivers, just "thin" (wussy power amp) vs "good". My understanding from reading a lot of posts on other sites is that Yamaha's tend to be thought of as "bright", Harman Kardon as "smooth" and Denon somewhere in the middle, so I guess something like an HK would be the best match if you believe in that stuff. I don't believe in it myself, but I do own an HK receiver which I guess blows my credibility
The general consensus seems to be that a mid-to-high end unit from any of the major mfgs will sound pretty much the same. There is another post going on right now polling for receiver brand among Axiom owners; from what I remember, Denon was most popular, followed by HK, Yamaha, Onkyo and Pioneer in that order.
Sorry this was no help. Ask if a big honkin' power amp will make things sound better and more people will say "yes, I believe in that"
