[Jodean]

Well i have been using an HK avr35 for watching movies in the theatre room until i can upgrade to something else. Its measly 30w just barely cut it and i always seem to turn it up just a notch or two and then i start getting distorion. I need just a little more it seems.

Im using 2 jbl hrs 620 mains and a northride center and two small jbl surrounds. Each at 175w recommended power. I believe they are 200w or 250w max.

The other night i thought i would try my elcheapo jvc reciever from upstairs that boasts 100w per channel and had dts and all the goodies. I hooked it all up and it was definetly louder than the HK but man it was some ****** sound. Glass breaking was 4x louder than it should have been and voices could only be heard if it was cranked way up. I could only take about 10 minutes of this and had to switch back to the HK.

Now being that i currently cant upgrade($$$$).....i was just wondering where it goes from here.....

Whats the next step beyond the HK? How far does it go like this? I consider the two differences huge in quality. How many steps can i go till im happy? Are there 10 more steps above where I am now?

What would be the next step up over the old HK? Do i need to go with a preamp and several different amps?