This is a needle threading process that you are looking at.

In general, I find that following - Onkyo-Sony-Yamaha - so your most popular to have a slightly digital and somewhat unpleasant sound. I am literally giving away an Onkyo receiver to a friend because they have nothing. Alternatively, it is shocking to hear Onkyo is having an HDMI issue as the video processing is what makes those products really special.

Alternatively, Marantz delivesr some pretty great quality for the money. I own multiple Marantz products and love them.

As far as specific models go - I know this is a hair beyond your budget but accessories4less has a Marantz SR6008 in a factory refurbished state - so it has a 1 year warranty, built in phono stage, built in streaming Pandora and Spotify, is AirPlay equipped, can power multiple zones and is just an all around great receiver.

just go to the accessories4less website and search for Marantz SR6008.

To me, this is an A+ choice for you as it meets all of your needs, has good power and Marantz makes sound first equipment with strong video processing. Given that you have a small space, it will easily support 5.1 audio and since you probably won't be living in a studio forever, will support a 7.1 setup later on if you have the space.

I specifically did not mention Denon or Pioneer. Denon makes great products and I have heard some new Pioneer receivers that sound way better than they did just 2 or 3 years ago. Unfortunately, I don't know of a Denon or Pioneer unit that has a phono stage and will be close to your price range. They tend only to be in the very top of the line from Denon, and I don't know if Pioneer offers one at all.

I also didn't mention NAD or Cambridge because neither offers the streaming services you are looking for.

They still are better than most AVR's. If you aren't using the video anyway, get better sound. And they look cool also. Have it recapped and you'd be amazed how good it is.

I have bought several items fromaccessories4less. All of them have been clearance items from Marantz. D&M holdings seems to use accesories4less as their Denon and Marantz clearance place for discontinued items and returbs. The only thing I will say is that it is really is Marantz factory refurbed and it does have a full 1 year warranty. You can never be sure you won't get a lemon, even with new equipment.

The 6009 is the current model and I think has had Dolby Atmos added to it which is why it is more expensive. I would tell you that even modestly priced Denon units sound very good. If you were to compare a similarly priced Denon and Marantz unit, they sound a bit different but they are both very musical. Marantz is known for having a touch of warmth while Denon is more neutral. They are the same company, but are different operating units. Both sound much better than Onkyo-Sony-Yamaha.