Sounds like they have all recommended the Denon's here and they know more than me, but I will tell you that I just bought a Yamaha Rx-V2500 (old model) for $590 shipped to the door. Great receiver, no problems and brand new. I got it on Ebay from a company with an actual real shop in NY. They are an aouthorized Yamaha dealer which seems to be a big problem with a lot of the Yamaha being sold because Yamaha will not honor the 2 year warranty unless you have a receipt from an authorized dealer. Be carefull if you go this route because there is a large "grey" market on Yamaha. I will vouch for "Canal Hi-Fi" though. Save yourself $400 and get that big sub!
Yamaha RX-V2500 Ebay 
