Have you thought about the Outlaw 1050? It's been very well reviewed for its music and home theater performance, and is only 500 US plus shipping, with a money-back guarantee a-la Axiom.

I own the Arcam AVR100, which would likely run you about 800 bucks U.S. these days, but sounds fantastic with music...totally embarassed the Denon 3802 in a head-to-head comparison.