For all those who didn't catch it. My second refurb from HK was a dud as well! And, even if it worked, I would probably be paranoid forever about it breaking.
The guys at HK were great and are giving me a full refund plus free return shipping!
I ended up buying a Pioneer Elite VSX-54TX. I LOVE THIS THING!! The auto MACC works pretty Good, though it did have my bass peak at -80 (WTF?)
Anyhow, my HT is finally living up to it's potential. At $1670 (not including cables or monitor, dvd/cd player) I believe it could give much more expensive systems a run for their money!!
I bought from this company called MayFairDigital.Com. The had the best price, but their ratings are pretty bad... so I did take a chance with them. I have to say they were not as bad as their reviews stated.
It cost only $55 for overnight shipping from NY to CA. I placed an order Sunday. I accidentally gave them the wrong billing address, so I had to call back a couple times. Got it on Wednesday and all is well. Thing was packaged professional and was brand new. It's working like a charm.
Plus, I think they have a 14 day return policy.
I would suggest you read the reviews. You're using a credit card, so you have pretty good security. I guess the question is whether or not you're willing to take a chance.
Keep in mind that some of these internet dealers may not be authorized dealers. While it is not absolutely necessary to buy from an authorized dealer, it does make things A LOT easier if you were ever to have problems with your receiver. Each brand should have a list of authorized dealers on their website.