Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater Newbie - which receiver?

Hey everybody! What a great site!
I'm brand new to HT and am trying to decide on which receiver to buy (I've already decided on Axiom speakers). Alan recommended Denon (1803),Har/Kar (325), & Yamaha (?).
I've read ALL the posts on this site and am definitely leaning towards either H/K or Denon because of their quality, but I'm on an extremely limited budget.
Should I get a 5.1 (would work?), 6.1 (better?), or 7.1 (dreaming)? Which model?
I'm disabled and spend about 80% of my time in my bedroom (13'x16'). I mostly watch TV, and music some of the time.
After visiting dozens of web sites I'm now totally confused.
Should I get a new model or a discontinued model?
Remember, price is my main consideration and I'll probably have to buy one off of Ebay. My budget is $500(Cdn) or less.
Thanks!

Other than offering the standard warning about eBay purchases (buyer beware), you can certainly find a number of receivers that will be perfectly acceptable within your price range.
Denon, H/K, Onkyo, Yamaha, Pioneer, Sony, all offer receivers in the sub $600 categories, even new (check out some Future Shop fliers to see). Discontinued models are perfectly fine and often still sold until the resellers stock has run out. You may be able to pick up one of these models on a real discount, clearance sale.

With that being said, a 5.1 capable receiver is about all you need for today's dvds and movies. There are few dvds yet encoded for 6.1 channels and none that i know of for 7.1.
Although these extra channels may become more widespread as popularity picks up in the future, you certainly will still have an awesome experience in the 5.1 area. Don't concern yourself with all the extra channels for now, at least not while you are first setting up a beginners HT system. Do your upgrading later once you've had a system for awhile, your preferences become more honed, and you have the cash to change one component here and there.

Good luck.