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I am going through the same process in the same price range. Some of the answer is going to be dependent on the model speakers you have. I have SB-3 fronts, a KG 2.2V center, SS-1 surrounds and a SW-10 sub. I'm looking at the Pioneer 80. The Denon 2307 is a little too pricey and the 1907 doesn't do HDMI. I was all set to get the HK 245 but the HDMI doesn't do audio and I am concerned about HK's future since Circuit City dropped them and they have a very limited dealer network. The Onkyo's only have 50 MHZ bandwidth on the component video, where 100 is the normal. The yamaha 659 has great reviews, but does not do HDMI. This all led me to the Pioneer. I have read reviews on the 82 that say the sound is incredible and the 80 uses the same electronics and amps. It's a tough decision, thats for sure. I curently own a HK 125. I like the sound, especially with music, but my speakers could use a little more bightness. My opinion is the recievers from warm to bright are: HK, Denon, Pioneer, Yamaha, Onkyo. The high end audio store I buy from, the sales people all own Klipsch and Yamaha. This store sells Denon and Pioneer Elite as well as NAD and Rotel. One of the traits of Klipsch speakers is that at very high volumes they can get harsh. If you plan to really crank them up, I'd go with the HK or Denon. If you listen at mid to high, but not very high, the Pioneer or Yamaha should work great. I hope this helps.

Thanks for the info. Your comment that the KG 2.2V could use some brightness was interesting. Usually, everyone says Klipsch is too bright. I have turned up the Treble to get better sound. I've been very nervous about a brighter reciever, but I think I will try one. I'm looking at the Yamaha 659 or the Pioneer Elite 80. Both get good reviews. It seems the reviews on the Pioneer are a little better and it has HDMI switching. The Yamaha does not. How important is the HDMI? I also looked at the new H/K 345 which has video processing to 720P through HDMI and analog upcoverted. I decided against this due to some bad reviews on the video processing chip. What does anyone think of the Yamaha 659 vs. the Pioneer Elite 80? I'm planning on upgrading my display to a 46 Samsung LCD, will the HDMI on my reciever be used, or is it better to direct conect?

Thanks for the advice. I know I love the sound of the HK, both for music and HT. I know the 240 doesn't upconvert the composite and s-video to component. I have been living without it for a long time, but thought that feature would make it easier to work the set for my wife and kids. Maybe it isn't as important as the sound. Does anyone have an Onkyo or Yamaha? Is the sound bright?

I think you should set them up in different ways and listen to which way you like it best. My SB-3's are in a book case and I plugged the port on the back and set them to large and set my SW-10 sub to a 80 hz crossover. This has great sound. If you do set the floor standing sides to large, set you reciever to LFE only on the sub to avoid boominess with the sides and sub. If you do go with the down firing sub, buy some pre-finished wood flooring and make a square under your sub. You will get the sound you want. A friend of mine did this and it sounds great. Good luck

I have Klipsch SB-3 sides, KG 2.2V center and ss-1 surrounds. I currently have a HK AVR-125 reciever which I love the sound. Unfortunately, the movers broke it. To get upconversion I need a AVR-345 which is too expensive. I was thinking of a Onkyo 674 or a Yamaha 659. Will I be happy with the sound quality compared to the HK. Are the Onkyo and Yamaha a lot brighter? They both have more features for the money than HK. What do think?