I have a Marantz receiver (SR7000) and it has been great. I tested it head to head against yamaha and the yamaha seemed a little brighter sounding. I preferred the smoother sound of the Marantz. My only complaint is that it has a fixed 100 hz crossover. It would be nice to be able to cross over at 80 or 90.
That said, you should check out the new Marantz's. In my opinion, they look good and sound good.