I'll put another vote in for something from the Pioneer Elite line. I have VSX-43TX. It's a few years old, and I bought it brand new but on close-out at my local true HT store a few years back. MSRP was like $999, I paid like $600 for it. It has worked flawlessly for years.

I like it quite a bit. It's only annoyance for me is the lack of on-screen setup, but all of the newer models have it now.

M80v2 | VP150v2 | QS8v2
SVS Pci+ 20-39
Emotiva UMC-1 & LPA-1
M22ti + T-Amp, in the Office