Gotta put a plug in for Pioneer Elite receivers too. Many people don't care for the regular Pioneer line, so they steer away from Pioneer altogether. I have had very good success with Pioneer, and my Pioneer Elite receiver does everything I want it to.
Here is a paraphrase from a good comment I got on this forum when asking about receivers...
If you are spending around $700+ on a receiver, you should get good quality and good features from just about any brand. It just comes down to what features and extras you want, or in some cases, even the looks or remote control are deciding factors. You really should be fine with just about any good receiver brand.
