I was recently in the market for a new receiver and ended up purchasing the Onkyo TX-NR515.  I am not super knowledgeable about home theater systems but I do know this:

  • I want the most for my money
  • I want the receiver to be simple to install
  • I want a reputable brand

Based on this I started searching and found that this Onkyo.  The TX-NR515 can be found on amazon.com for 50% off the MSRP.  At $300 the Onkyo TX-NR515 seemed like a good deal.  This receiver is internet ready and has apps like Pandora integrated into it.  I was about to buy but then after reading the reviews I found that this product seems to have a flaw where it fails to send a signal after being on standby for an extended period of time.   Initially this turned me off from the receiver.  But then I consulted a friend who’s family owns a home theater installation company.  They were able to tell me that the receiver’s problem seems to be related to power surges.  They said as long as you have a good surge protector things should be fine.  After a bunch more research on receivers I had a couple of options, a lesser receiver that did not have as many features or channels, or spend more money.  I opted to buy the Onkyo TX-NR515.  If you are paranoid, you can always buy a warranty from Squaretrade.   So far so good.  Will update this post if I end up having any issues.