Joey, welcome. If your 656 is still in good working condition, it isn't "subpar" as far as basic amplification(85 watts should be enough)goes. Since that model is about 12 years old, however, there are receivers with much more advanced features available which you might consider. Your "crackly" comment might relate to the speakers, but could also indicate controls on the receiver are dirty. Run them quickly all the way up and down(no sound playing, of course)a couple dozen times to help clean them a bit.
I've been enjoying music through my M22s for almost 12 years now. They're very accurate, excellent speakers, and I'm confident that you will also find them to be very enjoyable if you give them a try.
