another receiver question

[gsxr141]

i currently have a yamaha htr5760, and am looking to upgrade. a friend of mine is willing to let me have his htr5960 for $75. it looks as though it's basically the same, but has 115wpc vs 85.
the other option is to get a new pioneer 1120k. i've been following the posts here, and it seems like this is a very good receiver for it's price. i found that it's on sale for $519 at bestbuy.
i have no problem buying the used yamaha, especially if it will be a good upgrade. on the other hand if it's not going to be much of a difference, is the pioneer the way to go. i've never heard anything bad about the pioneer elite's, and from what i've read, the 1120 is comparable.
what to do, what to do?

[kawizx9r]

If it were me, I'd grab a Pio.

Not familiar with the yammie you own or the one your friend is letting you have but if you look at wattage specifically, the difference is not worth $75.

Does either Yamaha have pre-outs? They're nice to have if you ever want to upgrade later down the road.

[gsxr141]

both the yamaha's have pre-outs. i'm happy with the way the yamaha works, but i think i might need more power to get the most out of my new polks.

[kawizx9r]

both the yamaha's have pre-outs. i'm happy with the way the yamaha works, but i think i might need more power to get the most out of my new polks.

Then why not use the money for an external amp that you would've used for the Pio AVR?

[gsxr141]

you know, i never really thought about that. i wouldn't even know where to look for one. it looks like i have some research to do. lol

[kawizx9r]

you know, i never really thought about that. i wouldn't even know where to look for one. it looks like i have some research to do. lol

LOL

350 bucks can score you a nice Adcom 555 (2ch amp). You can look for a 3ch amp, or a 2ch amp for your fronts and an amp that can be bridged (or monoblock) for your center.

Your front stage is the most important for HT imo.