i just picked up a kenwood excelon x995 from
ebay for 240 bucks new and its a really awesome unit. and id recommend it.
you really cant go wrong with any pioneer, kenwood, or higher end jvc in my opinion as long as it has all the features you want.
theres also a lot of headunits that are coming out soon and look pretty awesome. heres a few of em. they probally kick *** but you'd have to wait a little.
JVC Arsenal KD-A95BT CD receiver at Crutchfield.com
Pioneer DEH-P9400BH CD receiver at Crutchfield.com
id def recommend getting a head unit with a 5 band or more eq.
just do some research, check reviews all that fun stuff. your on the right track by starting with the head unit.