Yamaha RX-V1700 or RX-V2600??? (1 Viewer)

My wife loves to tell me what other people are getting me for christmas... she thinks if she tells me then I'll tell her... though I never do. Anyway, she let me know my father-in-law is getting me a Yamaha RX-V1700 and Harmony 880 remote (after i showed him the Onkyo SR803 refurb from eCost for $550 he decided to go "one better"). He paid full retail ($1200 + tax) and got it at a Magnolia Home Theater at a nearby BestBuy. We'll be exchanging gifts christmas night, so that's when the fun begins.

Now I have one decision to make... the Magnolia Home Theater nearest my house has last-years RX-V2600 on clearance for $949. Should I keep the RX-V1700 or trade it for the RX-V2600 (one step higher but slightly older) and use the difference for something like HD-DVDs in at Best Buy?

I'm looking at the feature-set and it seems they're pretty compatible. The RX-V1700 has HDMI 1.2a while the RX-V2600 only has HDMI 1.1. This doesn't make a bit of difference to me since I don't own an SACD player and never will (i do purely home theater). I'll be using HDMI from my Toshiba A1 and Motorola DVR and out to my Panasonic AE700u projector.

The RX-V2600 has THX Select 2 while the RX-V1700 (and RX-V2700 for that matter) does not carry any THX certification. I know this is of minimal concern but I have a THX sign in my theater (my 1014TX is my only current peice of THX gear) and I would feel like a poser if I kept the sign w/ no THX equipment LOL. I'm under the impression that the RX-V1600, 1700, 2600, and 2700 all have the same amp section (even though their rated power specs varry slightly), am I right about this?

The biggest difference is also the one I'm the least sure about. I've read reviews of the RX-V1600 that say its version of YPAO is not as powerful and customizable as the RX-V2600's. Is this true, and does it carry over to the RX-V1700? Which would have the better version of YPAO? This is the review that sparked my questions on the YPAO verstions:

http://www.homecinemachoice.com/cgi-...?reviewid=6618

Anyway, I'm curious to what people think is the best route to go and make the most out of what I'm getting. My father-in-law is extremely laid back and wouldn't care if I exchanged it, especially if he knew I was getting something better for less.

must be nice to have a father in law like that, hehe...i dont much care for mine, and i dont think he likes me much either

Ya I'm not complaining at all lol. I think another reason for getting the Yamaha instead of the Onkyo is because he's bought Yamaha receivers for himself in the past and probably feels comfortable with the brand.

I don't know how the build quality is on the 2600. However, I'm sure it's quite nice. I had a chance to put my hands on the 1700 a few nights back. The controls on it felt like the older Pioneer Elite controls used to behave - nice motion, not cheap, etc. My current 80TXv Elite is nice, but nowhere near the build quality of my older 54TX. The Yamaha 1700 felt nice. Seems like a very solid receiver.

Right now I'm leaning towards sticking with the 1700 because it goes down to 35hz (sub) where the 2600 only gets down to 50hz (i beleive, not sure, but not as low as the 1700).

As for the build it does feel solid but it's lower profile than I expected... about the same as the 1014TX... i was expecting something a bit taller like my old Elite 43TX was.

Id hold of for the v2700

The 2700 really isn't an option... the 1700 is going to be a gift, but I don't have the $400 to upgrade to the 2700.