Is this good audio equipment?

Audio Equipment: Any recommendations for a good sub $300 receiver?

• This would sit in the living room, power a modest home theater system (don't watch that much TV), and a big digital audio collection.

• Answer:

  I suspect you actually were asking about an A/V receiver rather than the Dreambox mentioned by Andree. Which is the best choice really depends on your own needs and priorities (analog/digital inputs, output power, calibration capability, sound, codecs). There are decent entry level 5.1 receivers from Yamaha, possibly Denon, Sony, Pioneer and Onkyo in your price range. They will generally offer at least a few HDMI inputs, some the more advanced ones that will pass audio back to the receiver from the TV and even switch power (like the newish Yamaha RX-V373). Discrete device output stages can offer better sound than integrated output "blocks," but I only know for sure of the Denons having that feature, and they're are a little above your range unless you find one on sale or discontinued. Onkyos used to offer discrete output stages as well, but might not currently. If you need specific inputs (like 5.1 analog for SACD or DVD-A, or a phono input for a turntable) be sure to check, the entry level units usually leave these out. Yamaha, Denon and Pioneer offer mic-based room calibration which can help set up the proper speaker levels and subwoofer volume. Try them out in a store if you can just to try out their user interfaces, whether on-screen or front-panel based, to see if they make sense to you. Remote layout can be confusing, and input switching is not always obvious, so see if you can actually figure these out to avoid confusion later.  It's a little like buying a digital camera - partly you're looking for performance and features, but it doesn't help if you can't figure out how to use it! Check the usual user feedback at sales sites for reliability and customer support complaints.   You didn't mention what speakers you have (they should all match sonically) or sub or specific devices you're planning to connect, so you'll have to do a little prioritizing based on that info.