I finally have figured out my speakers for my HT setup (M60s, VP100, M2s, and a PB10-ISD SVS sub) and now I am trying to figure out which receiver to pair my setup with. Wow, there is alot to choose from. I had narrowed it down to the Denon 2805, HK 335, or a refurbished HK 430. All 3 have the audio/video delay feature which I am looking for. Each has pros and cons. But from reading customer reviews on audioreview and other sites can be a bit confusing. Posts like "the receiver burst into flames as soon as I plugged it into the wall!" or, "the receiver was emitting radiation which turned me into a mutant" are common. Ok I am exaggerating a bit, but reading many of these reviews it would seem you have a better chance to get a good reliable receiver from that dude selling out of the white van. I thought choosing speakers was difficult but this seems worse.

Anyone else felt this way choosing a receiver?

It is worse in the sense that you will get a wider range of opinions and more "love/hate" comments. On the other hand, it's much harder to go wrong when you're buying a receiver.

HK's seem to have a bit higher incidence of failure in the first few weeks (don't know why) but after that they seem to be pretty much bulletproof. I don't think you can go wrong with Denon, HK, Yamaha or Marantz.

HK's bass management is still more flexible than anything else on the market; the only oddity is that if you have full-range mains but no sub they won't let you route LF from center and surround to the mains.

I don't know which has the best remote, but the HK seems to be a bit counter-intuitive to me. Everyone here seems to be going for those aftermarket 33-in-1 remote / blender / microwave it slices it dices MX700 things anyways.

Don't sweat it. Pick the one that appeals to you the most, and get it from a reputable source in case you have any problems.

The mutant thing is gonna happen whenever you get into a "cult hobby" like audio, so I wouldn't worry about it too much.

What is your budget? I have had a few receivers over the last year so I can give you a few suggestions but I need to know how much you want to spend first.

If it comes down to the Denon 2805 or the HK 430, I would be all over the HK 430. I went from a Denon 3805 to the HK 630 and have never looked back. If your after power, the HK walks on the Denon in "Real" world power. When I was being really stupid I could get the 3805 to clip, the HK on the other hand has never even come close to running out of juice.

My budget for the receiver is $600. I am leaning towards the HKs. There is only a 10 watt difference on the 335 and 430. I know the HKs are "underwatted" but provide great current. I am guessing the 10 watt difference between the two would be fairly insignificant. The price difference between the 430 and 335 is roughly the same. With the 430 the refurbs still get a 2 year warranty. I am a bit nervous about the Denons and their 90 day warranty.

If you have an interest in the HK, check their online store. They sell refurb gear at a nice discount.

if you swing back to the denon side you should look for a 985 it is the same as the 2805 its just sent to different stores and is cheaper by about $100