Try ecost.com for some deals on Denon AV Receivers. Every once and awhile, you can get some really sweet deals. Just watch for when they first put an item up--it's always cheapest when they have the most in stock. Then, as they do the "countdowns" and stuff, their prices go up. I buy refurb or refurb open box units when I'm looking for real cheapies.
I used to love NAD stuff, but their quality control suffered in the mid to late 90s, early 2000's. I heard it is getting better, and the new products get some good lip service. But out of your price range. Arcam is a good alternative. Rega is pretty nice (I like my P3 ok) but no surround.
The new Cambridge stuff is great sounding. The older stuff is ho-hum.