I anchored my 2-channel system with a pair of OMD-15s for over 5 years. Excellent all-around speakers with lifelike transparency, room-filling sound, and good realistic tonal balance. Where did you get your pair? They don't seem to show up used very often and I wonder if you got mine after I consigned them.
The OMD-15s were originally priced at $2500, so yes, they really shine with good cables and a strong, high-current amplifier.
I recommend you expand your search beyond a receiver to an integrated amplifier. Integrated amp designs tend to be simpler with more of the design concentrated on dynamics, low noise, and sound quality vs. number of features typical of receivers. Integrated amps often have larger power supplies which translate into better dynamics and bass. You can still find a good amp at your budget, though you may want to expand your search to used items.
Check out offerings from NAD, Cambridge Audio, Yamaha, Onkyo, Denon, and Marantz.
WIth its small woofers and compact cabinet, the OMD-15s aren't bass monsters, but they can put out pretty good bass in the right setting. My listening room is on a suspended floor, so I never got much bass below 50Hz at home. When sitting on a concrete floor at an audio shop, however, they put out very solid bass down to 40 Hz. If you have the spikes that came with the speakers, seat them solidly in the base, adjust height so there's no wobble, and try to get the spikes to punch through the carpet to sit solidly on the floor beneath.
Eventually I did get a pair of small subs to fill things out between 40 and 50 Hz, but as I said, if you have the right setting, the OMD-15s can make excellent bass down to 40 Hz on their own.
The OMD-15s were originally priced at $2500, so yes, they really shine with good cables and a strong, high-current amplifier.
I recommend you expand your search beyond a receiver to an integrated amplifier. Integrated amp designs tend to be simpler with more of the design concentrated on dynamics, low noise, and sound quality vs. number of features typical of receivers. Integrated amps often have larger power supplies which translate into better dynamics and bass. You can still find a good amp at your budget, though you may want to expand your search to used items.
Check out offerings from NAD, Cambridge Audio, Yamaha, Onkyo, Denon, and Marantz.
WIth its small woofers and compact cabinet, the OMD-15s aren't bass monsters, but they can put out pretty good bass in the right setting. My listening room is on a suspended floor, so I never got much bass below 50Hz at home. When sitting on a concrete floor at an audio shop, however, they put out very solid bass down to 40 Hz. If you have the spikes that came with the speakers, seat them solidly in the base, adjust height so there's no wobble, and try to get the spikes to punch through the carpet to sit solidly on the floor beneath.
Eventually I did get a pair of small subs to fill things out between 40 and 50 Hz, but as I said, if you have the right setting, the OMD-15s can make excellent bass down to 40 Hz on their own.