I have had the KEF KHT 2005.2 speaker system for a while and I wanted to put together a budget home theater system. So I bought the Marantz SR6001 (refurbished) to complete the project. Initially I thought of going with the Denon AVR590, which retails for roughly the same price. But I was very disappointed with the lack of punch and theatrical effect with the Denon, despite the advertised 75W/channel power. I experimented with various settings and even went through the Audyssey setup, but just could not get the life out of the speakers. After reading some great things about the Marantz SR6001 in various forums I decided to give it a try. In a nutshell, I could not be happier with my decision. Right out of the box (without any sort of fine tuning or going through the Audyssey setup) the difference with the Denon was obvious. The voice just popped out of the speakers. It seems like a curtain had been lifted and the theatrical effect is simply awesome.

I also briefly tried it for music using the "pure direct" mode. I have to say it sounds pretty good. For moderate, not so power hungry speakers, this amp should be enough for both movies and 2-channel music. If you are running high-end, power hungry speakers, you should not be looking in this price range anyway!

As for the video processing, I cannot really comment on it because my source is either already 1080p (Blu-Ray) or is upconverted by the PS3.

Regarding the REFURBISHED unit: All I see is that there are a few scratches in the back of the unit, most likely from connecting and disconnecting wires. The front, top and the sides are spotless. Given the scratches and 1 year warranty (vs 3 year on a new unit) I think the price is fair. I am still borderline indifferent between the refurbished and new unit. If I were to decide again I might go with the new unit just for the sake of warranty, but you never know with electronics. If this refurbished unit does not give me any trouble for the next few years, this will be one of my best electronics purchases ever - alongside my Macintosh MA 6300 and Tannoy MX2-M speakers (two separate systems, of course!). :-)

Conclusion: I researched a lot on the internet and even looked around on Audiogon for used receivers up to $800 (that is about the price for a Denon AVR2310). I don't think I could have done any better than the Marantz SR6001. Sure, you don't get the latest audio decoding (True HD etc.), and there are only 2 HDMI inputs, but I don't have need for those features - the PS3 does all the decoding anyway. At $350 (or $500 for the new) this is a steal. I would not think twice about it. Let us see how it holds up over time.

Note on packaging and A4L service: The receiver came in a plain brown box, but the inside packaging is simply solid - tightly wrapped in plastic and cushioned by good, medium density poly foam (not the breakable kind!). Shipped next day through Fedex Home by A4L and arrived in 3 days. Could not ask for more. I have heard good things about A4L customer service as well, but I hopefully will not need to contact them.

Associated equipment:

Speakers: KEF KHT 2005.2 speakers (5.1 channel) on tall stands
Source: PS3
Monitor: Samsung LNT-4061 40" LCD TV
Generic 12ga copper wire terminated with Monoprice banana plugs on the receiver end
Generic HDMI cable