Onkyo TX-SR606 (black)

Pros: Excellent value, excellent performance

Cons: Needs more inputs, more flexibility (but adequate for most people)

Summary: The first thing that must be said is that for the money, this product is hard to beat. Excellent features, quality, plenty of power. 4 HDMI inputs and 4 digital audio (coax and optical). The Audyssey system automatically applies adjustments that most people would never apply otherwise.

The remote is competent but forget about its universal remote capability. Not a big deal since you're probably using a separate universal remote anyway. Onkyo's remote has multiple codes for each device and you just have to try them all. And then, some never did work. Not a problem for me since I am using a Logitech Harmony (and so should everyone, IMO).

A bigger disappointment was that the audio-video inputs are more limited than I had expected. If you have several older devices, you should know that only the HDMI, digital audio, and component inputs can be connected to different inputs. And they can't be renamed. So anyone using my system has to know that TV/GAME button shows the old TiVo box and that the laptop is connected as CD. And if I had one more device, I'd have been out of luck.

But for around $400, what a terrific performer.