I see alot of Pioneer and Denon systems, and they are very comparable with Onkyo. If you want to go a small step beyond those, I recommend checking out the Marantz systems. They are a little more expensive and are considered hi-end because they are built better than the others, and are worth the extra money. I have some old marantz THX monoblock amps at home that run my pre-pro system. I actually bought them new back in the mid 90's, back when THX meant something.

let me know if your interested at all in really expensive ultra high end. I will send you some links to some websites.

EDIT: Forgot to mention that Denon has a really expensive ( alot more than Marantz ) hi-end product line also, but alot of their inexpensive basic systems can be found in many places.