I think THX is a useless system now.
Ok I said it. Now let me explain that a little bit. Back in the day when I was buying my first home Receiver (in Dolby Surround) I couldn't afford the top of the line THX receivers (also in Dolby Surround). They were a pipe dream that us budget audiophiles could only dream of back then. As time went by I got older and made a lot more money. I could finally afford this certified piece of audio goodness. Then a few years back THX decided that it wasn't going to stand for the best stuff anymore. It was now going to have degrees of THX. Suddenly in my mind THX meant a whole heck of a lot less. It was like they came out and said "this receiver is good but not as good as this one. Then with that one it's not as good as this ultra one over here."
It just seemed like a way to slap a brand name on a bunch of stuff that wasn't up to spec. If it is up to the THX standard say so. If it isn't don't. I mean why have a "THX select?" Just because it meets a few standards for good audio. I want something that meets all of them. Of course this is one of those audio things that can be debated till the cows come home. So I digress.
As for receiver advice, or home audio advice for that matter. Buy some good equipment and then stop looking at other audio stuff. You will only end up finding something else that is better and more expensive to spend your money on.