Ok, well this time I did my own field study and came up with the best receiver for my needs. A place here in Dayton carried Marantz and Yamaha. After a long discussion and listening, I went with the Yamaha RX-V2300. For one it offered 6.1, second it had more inputs then I could ever think of using. Third, while the Marantz had a smoother musical sound, the Yamaha had a sharper and better sounding HT. Well I realized, very seldom will I ever pay very close attention to the music I am playing. I usually flip on a CD and start playing pool, or playing cards, so in a sense the music is always background noise. About the only time I will actually be sitting down, and clearly listening for sound, is when I watch movies of course. So, this is why I opted for the slightly better HT Yamaha Receiver. I thank everyone for their input, but now understand better then ever. The competition out there is fierce! The best thing you can do is find what specifically fits your needs the best! Good luck to all!!
One more question. Since I now have 6.1 I will be moving my M2i to the Rear Center. Should I then go with another M2i for front center, or go with the VP-150? Sorry, these I can not simply test locally!

Receiver- Yamaha RX-v2300
Front- Axiom M22ti's
Front Center- ????
Surround- Axiom QS8's
Rear Center- Axiom M2i
Subwoofer- EP175

I bet you'll love the 2300!! I have the 1300 and it is perfect for my Axioms. I have the VP150 and it goes perfect with my M60's. I'm not really sure how it would sound with the M22's. I'm betting someone will chime in and tell you.

Oak, my thought is that you'll be happy staying with the M2 for both front and back center. But before you even think about the VP150, experiment; get completely set up and listen with the M2 front center. Then use the "Quad-Field" feature of your 2300 to create a "phantom" rear center speaker and see how that sounds. Then switch the M2 to the rear surround(with the M22s handling the center channel in phantom mode)to see how that sounds. The M2 should be a near-perfect match with the M22s.

I'm using the VP150 with M22's and it sounds great. I tried an M3 as a center and it wasn't half as good. An M2 might be fairly different, though. Still, I would go with the VP150, being a great center is what it's meant for. It will also play louder.