It is time for me to replace my TV room receiver, and I have no idea
how to decide.

Basically, I have a small budget for this: about $300. For that I want
good sound -- 6-channel, I suppose-- in a small living room, and
decent FM reception. I'll be replacing my speakers later.

When I was young, I read and compared reviews, but there were far
fewer products and reviewers (2 or 3 magazines). On the Web I recently
sought out reviews of an Onkyo receiver offered at a good price, and
read someone's assertion that the sound was rough or grainy compared
with some other receiver. Now, I had always understood that there
wasn't a whole lot of difference at moderate listening levels and
sufficient power availability.

Can anyone help me in a simple way? I know if someone asked me What's
the best camera? I would have about 10,000 ifs, ands, and buts. Yet
knowing what kind of pix would be taken, irritation level, aesthetic
sensibility and so forth, I could be helpful.