I agree with Eddie completely.
Plan on spending more of your $1000 on speakers and less on the receiver. In the grand (no pun intended) scheme of things, the speakers and their proper placement in the room are far more important than the receiver.
That said the Panasonic SA-XR55 is one of the best receivers for the buck.
Don't be turned off by the fact that it is digital. Old school audiophiles are frightened by digital amplification, but I'd be willing to bet that at moderate, precisely matched volumes, NOBODY will be able to tell the difference. On the other hand, just about anyone can appreciate how good a nice set of speakers sounds.
Kurt C.
Radio Shack SPL meter, Avia HT setup disk
DIY Absorption panels
Athena AS-B1 fronts/surrounds
Athena AS-C1 center
SVS PB10 subwoofer
Panasonic RP-56 DVD/CD player
Yamaha RX-V650 receiver
Panasonic TH-42PHD8UK 42-inch plasma