I have read for first few pages of comments and felt I needed to chime in. I am not familiar with the denon or marantz receivers. I know that denon came very highly recommended, but I went with a pioneer elite sc-65 and got it for about $550 if I remember right. It is a good receiver and runs very cold (thanks ice amps). If you were willing to step away from the "deal" you get, I would highly recommend the pioneer sc series. As for the speakers, size would not really be a concern when filling an apartment with quality sound. I started with some reference level rsx speakers and they flooded my living room with breath taking sound. The bookshelf sized speakers are mode than enough in most cases and very high in build and sounf quality. I recommend hunting on craigslist, I got lucky and found an entire rf-7 7.1 matched set for 2,000. Yes this is abovery your range, but it just showcases that bang for buck you can find some great deals. My last bit of advice is to think about placement for the surrounds. I can tell you that it is quite important. My brother has a 5.1 Polk audio setup, and his rears are sitting next to his couch (no clearance behind couch). It doesn't sound very good.