Budget Receiver w/ powered Zone 2

[DKALANIM]

Hi all. Need suggestions for a budget ($3-600) receiver with a powered 2nd Zone.
A little background... I have a plasma over my fireplace for casual viewing with 2 fronts (ceiling) and a center channel. This setup converges with my whole house audio in the built-in rack. I already have a Russound SS-6.2 speaker switcher. Now I just need a decent receiver. I have never had a Yamaha, however, a friend has an RX-V750 which seems like a good choice.
Thanks, and keep in mind this doesn't need to be high end, as I have a dedicated theater room.

[lousygolfer]

The Onkyo TSX-R602 has a second zone. I just bought one to replace my old Marantz SR880 (msrp $1500 - 110w/ch) and I'm very pleased with the sound for both music and movies. It has plenty of clean power - loud enough to get my wife talking about divorce if I don't turn it down. You can get one for under $400 - I paid $300 from an Onkyo authorized dealer whose name begins with the fifth letter of the alphabet.** I don't think that deal is available any more, but if you go to the Onkyo website and click on" find a dealer" and look for internet dealers, there will be icons for about 15 of them and if you click on one of the icons, it will take you to that company's Onkyo page. I think one of those dealers, which begins with the tenth letter of the alphabet, had the 602 on sale earlier this week for $349.

You may also want to consider the 702 - it has more power, is THX certified (for what that's worth) and has video upconversion from composite or S-video to component video. You should be able to find one at or slightly below the top end of your budget.

In your price range, I would avoid Yamahas. They are gutless, hardly any stronger in the amplification department than cheap JVC's or Sony's. Their more expensive receivers have reasonable power, but the specs on their cheaper receivers are about as genuine as Michael Jackson's claims his love for children is platonic.

** identities obscured so as not to incur the wrath of anal-retentive forum rules gunners. Heaven forbid that one of us makes a cost-conscious purchasing decision.

[armaraas]

Harman Kardon AVR335 is the first model in their line that has a 2nd zone, I don't know too much about how it works though. It might worth looking into and seeing if you like their sound or not. HK's can seem to be light on features for their price point, but performance is above average. The 335 can be had for around $470.

[Ja Phule]

2nd zone has been available in harman's x30 models also. They even come with a 2nd zone remote! :)

[DKALANIM]

Thanks lousygolfer. I've owned several Onkyo receivers and have been pleased with them all. I also currently run my theater room with an upper end Integra (div of Onkyo) and am thoroughly pleased with it's performance also. I'll have to give it a look.

Armaraas, I have never really looked at HK. Some of their upper end models seem OK, but for some weird reason I've always avoided them. However, to be fair I'll take a peek there too.

[DKALANIM]

ANYONE... Have any other suggestions??