Jeff, since you're considering the VSX 21, it appears that you may be budgeting about $400-$500 for this. If so, I'd suggest thay you consider a factory refurbished unit which will be more full-featured at that price level and in my view is likely to be even a bit more reliable than a brand new unit.

Specifically, in a price range around $420 I'd suggest that you consider the Onkyo 706 , and another excellent candidate would be the Denon 2309 .

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Enjoy the music, not the equipment.