Recommendation for a New HT AVR?

You've got allot of good responses here, so I will make just two quick points.

Note: I've sold a number of AV units over the years, and have been in the unique position to do "allot" of AB testing.

Point 1. The B&K receiver in multi chanel is sonically superior to just about any of the commen brand receivers, ie, Onk/Yam/Den/Pio/JVC/etc - at any price - AB test - you will be able to tell. And is equivilent to most upper line receivers, ie Arcam/AZUR/Rotel/Anthem/Sunfire/etc. and for the negative nancy's out there who's neck hairs will raise for this brash statement - here two very good reasons why -A. B&K works directly with Dolby labs and has set the standard for Dolby 5.1/7.1 and THX. The cards in these receivers are "solid state" with "full bandwidth" signal paths and process and pass all multi-channel formats at the highest THX/Dolby standards - ALL other manufacturers - follow their lead - this is simply - the facts. B. B&K arguably uses some of the finest class A output stages in there amplifiers, with "huge" caps - and deliver considerbly more current than most other brands - current controls your speakers - tells the drivers when to go/when to stop. So - arguably, Arcam,B.C.D.E.etc brands may do this part as well, but better?

Point 2. Your B&K is upgradeable - contact B&K at there 800 number and ask - you will find that they can upgrade the software, firmware and hardware of any of there products, and offer upgrade programs well beyond there 5 year warranty period. Try getting a hold of someone in Japan for an upgrade -

Best of luck - Have fun/enjoy

Point 2.

Check out the thread "Need advice on pre/pro - Rotel1098/Outlaw990/??." I posted some links for the Onkyo Pro 885. It is the identical pre/pro as the Ingetra 9.8, which someone mentioned in a reply to your post. The unit has received flowing reviews and gets compared to much higher end gear. The big plus for me, in addition to preformance, is that it features HDMI switching (v1.3) and supports the latest audio formats. In all honesty I could do without these features today, but the fact that it has them gives me comfort going forward.

As Iplaynaked mentioned, this unit can be coupled with a reasonable 5 ch amp and you would have a great setup to drive your B&Ws. I'm not well versed on amps these days, so I cannot recommend one over another. I actually posted a question about my aging Rotel RMB-985, which I intend to pair with the 885. Assuming that a slightly used 5 ch amp, such as my Rotel, will deliver sufficient quality, you are looking at < $500 for something here on AgoN.

By the way, the 985 can be had as a refurb at accessories4less.com for $799!

Have fun!

Sorry, I meant to say that the 885 can be had for $799!

Do not undervalue an HDMI connection. It replaces 6 multi channel audio cables for 1. It allows you a very effective way to get the latest high bit rate audio codecs for blu-ray movies, passes SACD and DVD audio, all over a single cable, plus you need it to pass 1080p video to your display.