I have been a happy owner of a Harman Kardon AVR-525 for about three years now. Last night, I went to watch a movie and I noticed there was very little sound comingout of my left front speaker. I did a little troubleshooting (and swearing) and determined my speakers were alright, so it had to be a problem with the front left channel on the receiver itself.

Has anyone else experienced this with their receiver (HK or non-HK)? I am going to take it to a repair center, but I rather not wait 3 weeks for a solution. This is the worst time to buy a new receiver in my opinion because of the new HD sound formats that will be coming soon. I do not want to pay $800+ for something that will be outdated in 18 months. Also, I don't want to pay $300 to get my old stereo fixed either.

I was also thinking that buying a two-channel amp might solve the problem. That way, I am not wasting money on repairs and I am purchasing something that I could use for a long time. Any thoughts?

I would really appreciate anyone's thoughts. This is going to eat at me through the weekend and I don't want to be crank for my twins' first birthday tommorow