What mid priced receiver sounds best?

Samsung F8500 and Panasonic vt/zt60. I bought the F8500 myself. You can read it here on audiogon why? XT32 makes the difference. But I have to admit I measure at a totally different way than Audyssey does. They way I keep for myself. It had become my thing, at this moment it is like having gold in my hans. I never had such a big advantage above other peolple in this business before. I Always want to be the best.

Thanks for everyone's input. I was looking for more features such as video chips, build quality, and networking capability.
For the price I could afford without going crazy, I went with the Onyko TX-NR818. The newer Onyko TX_NR828 didn't offer the Audyssey XT32 calibration. I looked and studied for about three months before buying and after reading many reviews both pro and through various vendors that rate HiFi gear, and felt the best way for me to achieve what I was looking for was by being patient and speaking with a lot of people who not only enjoy good sound, but have the passion for it. Thanks to everyone for your input, for me it never gets misplaced....Rich

Hi bo1972 thanks for the info and sorry for not responding sooner. As so far I'm really enjoying the Onyko 818, but still haven't had the chance to set it up properly with the Audyssey XT32. I'll have that chance when I get a tv for the basement. I'm currently looking for a 60" smart plasma, and have made arrangements to have my cable guy move my pc down there to be able to stream everything. Do you have any suggestions on a decent 60" plasma without getting to crazy on the price? I would appreciate the help.... Rich

Tandberg tr2080 if you can find one still in good working order. Most NADs are a good choice as well.

The 818 is a stunning amp. Wenn you use Audyssey XT32 well there is no competition in this price tag. I sold a few this year and had stunning results. In a big farm with the worst acoustics ever I had a stunning sound only cause of Audyssey XT32.

Thanks guys for the input. I didn't go for Nad because of the price point. I know Nad builds quality, but I couldn't step into the realm of it's price. I took a chance and bought the Onyko TX-NR818 to replace my Yamaha RX-V1900 the sound quality
is warmer and doesn't make my Paradigm Monitor 11's and 9's V6 scream out at the tweeters any more. I'm getting a bit more bass, but am more impressed with getting more of the mids. I'm playing everything from records, sacd's, cd'c, stereo, and internet radio and have been extremely happy playing everything flat without having to alter the sound in any way. I'll be selling my Yamaha very soon if anyone is interested. Again thanks for the response, it meant alot.

Are you looking for a better sound than your Yamaha or newer features, or both?

The Onkyo 818 receiver was well reviewed in the British press (Hi Fi News, What Hi Fi, etc.).

The Onkyo has a phono input, if it makes a difference.

I never had trouble with Onkyo products. At $800 or so, it seems like a steal, given it was released less than a year ago.

Rich

Arcam?

I second the NAD rec. Very balanced, rock solid build. I call 'em the High end of Midfi. Second choice would be Marantz.

At the time I was buying, that Onkyo was one of my favorites in its price range. I got a good deal on an open-box Yamaha Aventage 1020, which I also liked a lot, and having had good experiences with Yamaha's reliability, I went with the Yamaha.

At its current street price of around $700, I'm not sure what I'd prefer over that Onkyo. It is strong all around - video, sound, processing, it's all well done.

Any NAD except the T-series (junk). My very first system was NAD 7240PE/Paradigm Monitor 5se...GREAT sound.

This 80 watts/ch. (discrete amps!!) 7.1 Sherbourn would seem to be a great choice for you:

http://www.sherbourn.com/products/sr8100

$549 and a 5-year warranty - pretty hard to beat that combo!

-RW-