[darkrider01]

I have an Onkyo TX-SR607 (basically the exact same as HT-RC260) and it has been an excellent receiver. I came to this receiver from a Pioneer VSX-1017-K. I believe the Onkyo to be easy to use, and overall a good receiver.The Onkyo was very easy to set up with the Audyssey system.

I do miss my Pioneer though. IMO, the Onkyo has a stronger surround effect than my Pioneer had, but the Pioneer seemed to have warmer tones and a lot more options for EQ. I'm no audiophile though (proven by my Bose surround speakers). As a direct comparison, I have always felt like my Onkyo was too simple. I'm constantly cycling through settings on my Onkyo (usually go through them all 3 or more times) to try and find a setting that seems to fit the source. I think there are only like 8 sound presets (of which 2 are stereo). I don't remember having to do that with the Pioneer that I had.

Also, the Onkyo runs way hotter than my Pioneer did. Apparently, Onkyo has since started installing fans into their receivers to alleviate the heat problems.

The OSD on the Onkyo is great. It's easy to navigate and allows all kinds of tweaks for video sources that you are upconverting. I was having an issue with my Wii being to dark, until I realized that I could up the brightness through the receiver. It doesn't work on HDMI sources, but it helped a lot for my Wii on component.

I would personally go with the Pioneer if I was making the choice you are currently faced with. If you want simple and easy though, the Onkyo is great.