If you have spent a large amount of time and money putting together your dream HTPC, along with investing in a large screen HDTV and numerous speakers to support your 7.1 Blu-ray habit, spending just a bit of money on a multimedia receiver will cripple your enjoyment.  If you want to go enthusiast you should familiarize yourself with the high end of stereo components.  Take the Marantz SR6004 for instance, with an incredibly wide variety of inputs and features like the ability to upscale any signal to 1080p and output it through one of its two HDMI connections using on-board video processing from i-chips.  It is a big investment but once you see the review at Digital Trends you may find it on your wish list.

“For the last 55 years, Marantz has made quality its number one priority. While other receiver manufacturers have often scrambled to be first to market with the latest, greatest features, Marantz has remained quietly patient, waiting out the inevitable bugs and limitations of brand-new technologies. The result of the company’s patience is a legacy of remarkably well-made, solid products that, to the delight of their owners, have a way of performing flawlessly for years and years. Today, Marantz offers a suite of state-of-the-art receivers that, true to its tradition, have been thoughtfully designed to offer today’s latest audio decoders and video processing in combination with their legendary high-end sound. Positioned toward the upper end of Marantz’s A/V receiver offerings, the $1249.99 SR6004 represents a tremendous value by offering uncompromised sound, incredible connectivity and an intuitive user interface in a very attractive package that is consistent with Marantz’s history of high style/high performance products.”

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