So I'm about to purchase my first ever sound system, and I want to make it a good one. I only want a 2.0 system, no woofer or surround, I'm not too crazy about multiple speakers, and I want them compact. That leads me to think that the Klipsch RB-81 II series should be right for me. The only problem though is that I know NOTHING about amps/preamps/receivers/tubes and whatever else it is that people think is important to make it sound good. So, my question is, what receiver should I get with a pair of RB-81s? I'm looking at the Sony STRDH130 at only $150, that seems really cheap and says it pushes over 100w stereo. But then I look at others such as Harmon Kardon and Denon that run like $500, and they also push 100w each channel (plus channels that I wont use), and they add hdmi and other home theater junk that I will never use. What's the difference between all these amps in terms of audio quality? Will they make my speakers actually sound better? I don't want to pay $300 for extra features that I'll never use, however, if it will minimize distortion, EQ automatically, and just make the whole audio mix much clearer in any way, then I'm interested in paying more. I'm just going to run analog red and white RCA signals into this system, so I don't need any digital capabilities, so I'm hoping that the cheap sony recevier works out. Thoughts?
Thanks,
Dave