When my old stereo receiver finally gave up the ghost (after 20 years of distinguished service) it was time to hit the store and get another. The home stereo landscape has changed quite a bit since I bought my old Sony. Back then, you bought a stereo receiver for your home system — period. Now a quick look at the product pages at crutchfield.com lists almost 40 multi-channel home theater receivers, and only 10 strictly stereo receivers.

But stereo was what I wanted. My home theater system is downstairs with the TV in the family room, while the stereo receiver is upstairs in the living room/dining room. There's no TV there, and no desire for multi-channel surround sound either. All I need there is a good-sounding stereo receiver that has enough inputs to handle my CD player, turntable, and an auxiliary input for my XM tuner and iPod. The Onkyo TX-8222 fit the bill nicely.

I was impressed with the TX-8222 from the moment I hooked it up. It's a bit bare-bones as far as features (volume, input selection, balance, bass and treble tone controls, plus a simple remote), but not where it counts — in the sound. That was rock solid.

I put one of my favorite test discs, The Spielberg/Williams Collaboration, into my CD player and checked out a few tracks. I enjoyed excellent reproduction of fine details, like the impeccably rendered and intricate brass and woodwind motifs of "Scherzo for Motorcycle and Orchestra," while the startling and sudden dynamic contrasts of "Shark Cage Fugue" were presented with authority. Low-volume passages were consistently full and rich, while louder statements came through without strain or harshness.

Since the Onkyo does most of it's work playing background music, I didn't see any need to spring for it's more high-powered cousin, the TX-8522. Good choice — the 50 watts RMS per channel of the TX-8222 has been powerful enough for dinner and entertaining music, and also for occasionally cranking up a favorite disc when I'm in the mood.

And there are a couple of extra bonuses I plan to take advantage of with the TX-8222. Onkyo sells an iPod dock, the DS-A2x, that comes with its own remote control. Perfect for casual listening with a cup of tea, or for controlling a party mix when we're cooking out. Plus, the TX-8222 features two sets of speaker outputs. I'll be running speaker wire to the deck any weekend now.