Looking for a great processor

There are a lots of options out there in your budget. You may want to check the Marantz AV8801 thread that is very active at the moment and indicating this appears to be a very good unit (particularly for the price). At the upper end of your budget and if room correction is not sought, the Bryston and Classe are highly regarded as is the Anthem (which adds room correction and perhaps unneeded video processing to the equation for a somewhat similar costs). As other posters will probably tell you - try to get a listen to each (ideally at home!), have a look at the threads to get some insights, read the available manuals to understand thier level of complexity /functionality etc for your needs and then probaly create a shopping list of a couple to find which one can be obtained at the best price you are willing to pay. In respect to the listening test - I have bought a couple of processors unheard by myself and made a leap of faith based on my research. In both occassions I have not been disappointed with the outcome but there are no guarantees it will occur the third time.

The Arcam FMJ AV888 might be one that you could consider. I currently use the Arcam AVP 700 from several years ago, and really enjoy it every time I power it up. It does not have today's processor's features however. The 888 has been out for a couple years now, so perhaps Arcam is planning on a new one soon.

Check out the reviews on sound quality. I believe it has HDMI 1.3 or 3a. I'm not sure why some of these "high end" A/V companies appear to be a couple years behind time in updated features. I love the rather large front digital display on the 888 as well.

There is a rather good review in January's Stereophile Mag. on the NAD T 187 Processor. It seems very much up to today's features. Crutchfield has a very descriptive brochure on it's web site as well...at about 1/2 the price of some of the others mentioned.