I am probably one step ahead of you as I just bought the Yamaha RX-V650 receiver - next step purchasing speakers. I went considered the Onkyo, Denon and HK (230 and 330) models noted above. One feature I was looking for was A+B speaker selection switch which eliminated the Onkyo and HS as they integrate the "B" into Zone 2, providing A AND B (as does Yamaha and Denon) but not the switch for A OR B. This is important if you have a 4 ohm speaker (like my ancient EPI 100's that I will eventually sell on ebay) and want to run in a separate zone/room as none will support A and B with 4 ohm...it has to be either A or B.
What I dislike about the Yamaha is the remote. It is non-learning and none of the codes recognized my cable box. At that pricepoint, I believe Onkyo, Denon and HK as also non-learning so plan on purchasing a universal remote with decent ones $125 up. I purchased the UCR-200 which is so new it is not available mailorder yet.
If you want to avoid the ohm issue and preserve the future expansion to "B" or "Zone 2", I would strongly consider the Axiom 60's over the 80's. If leaning towards the 80's, download and read the manuals for the receivers to doublecheck and make sure will support 4 ohms. I thought the Onkyo, and I know the Denon specified 6 ohm or better. Denon's specification is what narrowed my search to Yamaha.
